CNN today announced Katelyn Polantz has been promoted to correspondent covering courts and legal issues.
Since joining in 2017, Polantz has been at the forefront of CNN’s coverage of major federal court cases and sensitive Department of Justice and congressional investigations. Most recently, she was a key part of the team covering president-elect Donald Trump’s criminal trials and civil cases, especially the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and proceedings related to January 6.
Her reporting brings to CNN a unique window into Washington’s legal community and the federal court system.
Notably, Polantz was on the team that won CNN’s 2020 Emmy for coverage of Roger Stone’s arrest. During the Mueller and Smith special counsel investigations, her reporting led to several exclusive stories, on an investigation around Trump and an Egyptian bank, on an audio recording of Trump having a classified record at his New Jersey club, and anchor Kaitlan Collins’ first on-the-record interview of “Trump Employee 5,” a major witness against Trump in the classified documents case. Her work has also led to the public release of thousands of government documents and court records, including police body camera footage of the January 6 Capitol riot and the FBI interview memos from the Mueller investigation.
Based in Washington, D.C., Polantz previously reported on Washington’s legal community for American Lawyer Magazine and the National Law Journal, and she was as a producer at the PBS NewsHour. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and its student newspaper, The Pitt News.
