County sheriffs will be key to Donald Trump's promise of "mass deportations." Jessica Pishko, author of The Highest Law in the Land, explains the roles of these elected officials, how they work with white supremacist and anti-immigrant groups, and how communities can resist.

Blending investigative reporting, historical research, and political analysis, The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy takes us to the roots of why sheriffs have become a flashpoint in the current politics of toxic masculinity, guns, white supremacy, and rural resentment, and uncovers how sheriffs have effectively evaded accountability since the nation’s founding.

Jessica Pishko is a journalist and lawyer with a JD from Harvard Law School and an MFA from Columbia University. She has been reporting on the criminal legal system for a decade, with a focus on the political power of sheriffs since 2016. In addition to her newsletter Posse Comitatus, her writings have been featured in The New York Times, Politico, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The Appeal, Slate, and Democracy Docket. She has been awarded journalism fellowships from the Pulitzer Center and Type Investigations and was a 2022 New America Fellow. A longtime Texas resident, she currently lives with her family in North Carolina.