All roads lead to Fayetteville. Now, there's a sentence I never thought I'd type. But this week, it's true. Mainly, the first evidentiary hearing in a Racial Justice Act case is taking place there. Here's today's article from the Fayetteville Observer, which details some of the testimony that attorneys for death row inmate Marcus Reymond Robinson have presented in support of their contention that prosecutors across the state have systematically discriminated -- consciously or not -- against black prospective jurors in capital cases. I'm told that the state's case will be presented next week. Meanwhile, the Fayetteville City Council has instructed the police department to refrain from asking motorists for consent to search during traffic stops. There are too many details and developments in that story to do it justice, but suffice it to say that there is controversy about at least the following: whether the police were conducting traffic stops or asking for consent in a discriminatory manner; whether the moratorium on requests for consent is good policy; and whether the Council has the authority to impose it. Today's story is that the USDOJ has declined a request to investigate allegations of discrimination against the police department, while noting concerns about the department's conduct. Other stories of note include: 1. Governor Perdue has appointed Retired Superior Court Judge Leon Stanback as interim District Attorney in Durham. Recall that elected DA Tracey Cline has been suspended pending a full hearing, later this month, on a petition to remove her from office. [...]
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