The Pulitzer Prizes are considered the most prestigious awards in American journalism, recognizing work in 15 journalistic categories.
POLITICO was the first to report on a draft Supreme Court opinion that would mark a complete repudiation of the 1973 decision guaranteeing federal constitutional protection of the right to abortion. Chief Justice John Roberts called the unauthorized release of the draft opinion «a singular and egregious violation» of the court’s trust.
No draft decision in the court’s modern history has been made public while a case was still pending.
In January, the Supreme Court released the results of an internal investigation and said it was unable to determine who disclosed the draft opinion to POLITICO.
Access to abortion has rocketed to the center of the national political stage since last year. the overturning of Roe vs. Wade it spread across the country, where abortion bans were activated in several states. In many parts of the country, the fight for abortion access continues, and other states are moving to expand abortion access from the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
The reports led to a number of subsequent stories, including efforts by the religious right to influence the court, Roberts’ lessening control of the court, judges not disclosing spouses’ work of potential conflicts of interest, and further.
POLITICO received this year’s George Polk Award for National Reporting for the publication of the opinion draft. Traditionally focused on business and research work, the Polk Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the industry and are often the first to highlight exceptional work done in the United States and around the world.
POLITICO was also the recipient of the 2023 Toner Award for Excellence in National Political Reporting and the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Responsibility from the White House Correspondents Association for its reporting on the opinion draft.
POLITICIANS Matt Wuerker won the news organization’s first Pulitzer in 2012 in Editorial Cartoons for his «funny and consistently fresh cartoons, especially memorable for satirizing the partisan conflict that engulfed Washington.»
The Associated Press won the Public Service award for work by Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa Stepanenko and Lori Hinnant documenting Russia’s siege of Mariupol.
In opening remarks, Neil Brown, co-chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Board, paid tribute to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and said the board joins other organizations in demanding Gershkovich’s release.
The Complete List of 2023 Pulitzer Prize Winners It can be found here.