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 | Apr 23, 2012 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act has done for one inmate just what it was designed to do: A 38-year-old African American inmate is no longer sentenced to death. Because a judge ruled that racial bias played a role in the trial and sentencing of the man, his... 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...