Last night I attended the annual awards banquet of the North Carolina Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section. Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby was presented with the Peter Gilchrist Award, honoring an exemplary prosecutor, and Raleigh defense attorney Joe Cheshire was presented with the Wade Smith Award, honoring an exemplary defense lawyer. It was an incredible evening. The winners, and the speakers who introduced them, were funny, charming, humble, and eloquent. It made me feel great about our bar and it was a wonderful example of friendship and fellowship across the aisle. It inspired me to work harder to improve our justice system. The dinner moves me every year. Thanks to everyone who made the event possible, and congratulations to Colon and Joe. In other news: 1. No one mentioned the Racial Justice Act at the dinner, which was probably a good thing, as it continues to be controversial. The Conference of District Attorneys is pushing for an overhaul of the law, as the News and Observer reports here. The House has already passed a bill in line with the prosecutors' request and the Senate may take the issue up when it reconvenes at the end of the month. Supporters of the current law allege that the Conference's arguments are misleading, as detailed here. 2. An important working relationship appears to be breaking down in Durham in a very public way. The News and Observer sums up the most recent development as follows: "District Attorney Tracey Cline late Thursday accused Orlando [...]
Faculty Coordinators
