7/27/10
Racial Justice Act in North Carolina
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A new study examining death sentences in North Carolina over a 28-year period ending in 2007 shows that among homicides, the odds of a death sentence for those who are suspected of killing whites are approximately three times higher than the odds of a death sentence for those suspected of killing blacks. The study, to be published in The North Carolina Law Review next year, was conducted by Michael Radelet, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Glenn Pierce, a research scientist in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston. It is the most comprehensive study of the modern administration of the death penalty in North Carolina to date.
Radelet and Pierce examined 15,281 homicides in North Carolina between 1980 and 2007, of which 368 resulted in death sentences for those convicted. One of the top states to use the death penalty over the past 30 years, North Carolina has one of the nation's largest death rows with 155 men and four women facing execution. And with its passage of the Racial Justice Act last year, North Carolina became the second state in the nation after Kentucky to allow murder suspects and those already on death row to present statistical evidence of racial bias. The law is aimed at ensuring that the race of the defendant or victim doesn't play a key role in the sentence a person receives in death penalty cases. For more information, click here.
Posted by liz at July 27, 2010 7:36 AM MDT
6/28/10
NC Public Defense System Questioned by U.S. Attorney General
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In North Carolina, criminals are defended by public defenders in some counties; in others, by private attorneys paid by the county. This inconsistency is among the issues addressed by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) convention this past week in Wilmington. According to the U.S. Attorney General, the problems facing North Carolina's public defender program are not unique. Other states are facing similar challenges due to budget cuts and heavy caseloads. Click here for more information.
Posted by liz at June 28, 2010 9:40 AM MDT
6/17/10
AG Eric Holder to Speak at Annual Convention this Weekend in Wilmington
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On June 19, two short days from today, the NC Advocates for Justice's Annual Convention will get underway in Wilmington, NC. We are very proud that the Honorable U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will be a guest speaker at the 6-day educational and networking event which is designed to foster the professional growth of NCAJ members -- plaintiff attorneys and criminal defense attorneys who work each day to protect the rights of all North Carolinians. Attorney General Eric Holder often addresses groups throughout the country on the need to preserve justice for all. Click here for a sampling of his presentations and speeches.
Posted by liz at June 17, 2010 6:41 AM MDT
5/14/10
A Fair System That Keeps Rates Low
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All of us expect our civil justice system to be fair, but in North Carolina it's not. Unfortunately, insurance lobbyists want to keep it that way with empty scare tactics.
Our state is one of only four that clings to contributory negligence, a harsh and outdated way of denying help to people hurt in accidents. Under "contrib," even if you are only 1% percent responsible for an accident, you cannot recover damages from someone 99% responsible.
Comparative fault, used in 46 states, allows people to recover damages from those most responsible for causing an accident. It's a fair system that does not mean a rise in premiums.
The bipartisan House Bill 813 aims to introduce comparative fault as the new and improved law of the land. But insurance lobbyists are trying to stop this change by distorting the facts. Unlike what insurance lobbyists say, neighboring states with comparative fault have seen premium rates slow down.
We encourage you to visit http://www.fairjusticenc.com/ to learn more and to stand up to insurance lobbyists. Ask your representatives to support HB 813 and fairness today!!
Posted by liz at May 14, 2010 1:37 PM MDT
