Kat Stromquist
Senior Reporter Covering Justice, Incarceration and Gun Violence, Gulf States NewsroomKat Stromquist is a senior reporter covering justice, incarceration and gun violence for the Gulf States Newsroom, a regional collaboration among NPR and public radio stations in Alabama (WBHM), Mississippi (MPB) and Louisiana (WWNO and WRKF). Her reporting looks beyond crime statistics and law enforcement narratives to focus on communities at the heart of these issues.
Previously, Kat reported for the statewide Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper, where her investigations focused on institutional care and disability issues. She also has worked at the Gambit alt-weekly newspaper in New Orleans and as a public defense investigator.
Kat was raised in suburban Chicago but is a longtime resident of her adopted hometown, New Orleans. She enjoys reading, cooking and writing poetry.
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A new book explores the secretive, complicated history of lethal injection and its relationship to the death penalty. -
The demonstration condemned Trump's border crackdown policies that have led to the detention of students, activists and people without documents in Louisiana. -
A court hearing in Baton Rouge provided a rare window into working conditions on Louisiana State Penitentiary's "farm line," which prisoners are challenging. -
At least three bills in the 2025 legislative session propose changes that could affect cases moving forward amid a push to carry out more death sentences. -
‘Democratic anger’ against Gov. Landry, distrust of tax changes in rural parishes and more helped create the perfect storm for the March 29 election results. -
Amid calls from President Donald Trump for a nationwide immigration crackdown and an end to so-called “sanctuary” policies, at least two Louisiana law enforcement agencies have recently joined forces with federal immigration authorities, enlisting local officers to identify and detain undocumented immigrants in their custody. -
The district judge said he won’t stand in the way of votes being counted on Saturday amid the legal challenge, but said the case can otherwise move forward. -
With Hoffman’s execution, Louisiana joins Alabama as the only other state in the U.S. to use the controversial gas method on a person condemned to death. -
Hoffman’s execution is set for Tuesday after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a federal judge’s decision to block it earlier this month. -
Faith activism against the state's plan to resume executions adds to a history of religious engagement with social questions in the South.
