What You Might Not Know About Sheriffs

The Details:

What: The Highest Law In The Land: A book talk with Jessica Pishko.

When: Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Alienated Majesty Books, 613 West 29th Street, Austin, TX 78705
Cost: Free (RSVP required)
Presented by: The Texas Observer and The University of Texas at Austin

Cliff’s Notes:

• Sheriffs are some of the most powerful—yet often overlooked—figures in American law enforcement. They can choose whether to enforce state and federal laws, oversee local jails, control eviction policies, and even influence election security. Unlike police chiefs, who answer to mayors or city councils, sheriffs are elected officials with broad authority and little oversight.
  

• Jessica Pishko’s new book, The Highest Law in the Land, exposes how sheriffs have evolved into political power players—shaping democracy in ways many voters never realize.
  

• A journalist and attorney with a degree from Harvard Law School, Pishko has spent years investigating the unchecked power of sheriffs, writing for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Politico. Her work reveals how some sheriffs resist federal authority, spread misinformation, and take positions on major national issues—sometimes with troubling consequences.
  

What critics are saying:

• The Texas Observer: “Pishko’s book deftly probes the curious history of America’s sheriffs and examines their expanding political role, particularly in suburban and rural strongholds where the federal government can be viewed as the enemy.” Check out the Observer’s full review here.
  

• The Los Angeles Times: “Pishko executes a feat of investigative reporting and astute legal analysis of how such sheriffs make their counties into fiefdoms.” Check out the Times full review here.
  

The Backdrop

• This conversation takes place at Alienated Majesty Books, one of Austin’s most distinctive independent bookstores.
  

• Known as the “home of the least sellers,” the shop specializes in small-press fiction, poetry, and translated works rarely found elsewhere.
  

• More than just a bookstore, it serves as a gathering place for thought-provoking discussions and community events. As events coordinator C. Rees told The Daily Texan, “We give community groups the space that we have to run events, as well as potentially make money for them, so they can continue doing the things they do.”

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