Three more inmates had their death sentences vacated this week under the Racial Justice Act. Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Greg Weeks, following the reasoning he used previously to void the death sentence for another inmate, ruled that racial discrimination by the State during jury selection required that the defendants be resentenced to life without parole. The News and Observer has the basics here. The Fayetteville Observer has more details here, including a discussion of the tense atmosphere in the courtroom. Apparently, Judge Weeks determined that the defendants were entitled to prevail under both the original and the amended RJA. The state plans to seek appellate review. I assume that Judge Weeks entered, or will enter, a written order, and when I am able to procure a copy, I will post it. [Update: the order is available here.] In other news: No changes to the RJA? A few days before Judge Weeks’s ruling, the Fayetteville Observer ran this article discussing the state of the death penalty in North Carolina. The piece notes the recent declines in capital cases and in death verdicts, and discusses the role of race, geography, and the wishes of the victim’s family in determining whether a case will be capital. It also quotes House Majority Leader Skip Stam as saying, “We've done what we need to do on the RJA . . . I don’t see doing anything else.” New Supreme Court Justice. Governor Perdue has named Court of Appeals Judge Cheri Beasley to replace retiring Supreme [...]
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