by Michelle Sparrow | Aug 16, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
In a story that is almost painful to read, two North Carolina men have reached a settlement with North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation and its insurers after spending 31 years behind bars even though they were innocent. The men will be paid $12.475... by Michelle Sparrow | Jun 7, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
As predicted, the North Carolina House of Representatives is considering a proposal that would radically alter the Racial Justice Act. As we have discussed, the act allows inmates and defendants sentenced to death to use statistics to prove that their trials were... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 7, 2012 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
The Racial Justice Act, saved from repeal by Gov. Bev Perdue last December, faces its first real-life test this week. The law allows death row inmates to use statistics to prove that racial bias was a significant factor at trial, in sentencing or in denial of an... by Michelle Sparrow | Dec 15, 2011 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
With a stroke of her pen this morning, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue preserved the state’s Racial Justice Law — for the moment. The governor’s veto of Senate Bill 9 allows the petitions of 154 death row inmates to proceed. The bill would have... by Michelle Sparrow | Apr 15, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
We’re wrapping up our discussion of a bill that’s sitting in a North Carolina House of Representatives committee, awaiting discussion and what’s sure to be a lively debate. The bill, HB 615, would “reform” the Racial Justice Act by...