News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on February 27, 2015.

I’m back in the office after a day playing in the snow with my family working from home. I am sure that Chief Justice Mark Martin has been at least equally hard at work, preparing for his upcoming State of the Judiciary address before a joint session of the General Assembly. According to this News and Observer story, the address will be the first of its kind since 2001, is likely to take place on March 4, and is expected to focus on funding for the courts. In other news: Humanist inmate sues prison system. Under the Dome reports here that a convicted murderer, together with the American Humanist Association, has sued the North Carolina prison system. The suit concerns “over what [the plaintiffs contend] is state prison officials’ refusal to allow atheists or humanists to hold study groups like religious inmates do.” United States Attorney General nominee moves out of committee. Greensboro native, federal prosecutor, and Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 12-8 vote of support yesterday. WRAL notes here that Sen. Thom Tillis sits on the committee and voted against Ms. Lynch, concerned that she would support a “the costly and frivolous lawsuit against the state of North Carolina to overturn a common-sense and constitutionally sound voter ID law.” Magistrates’ role in marriages before the General Assembly. We’ve discussed aspects of same-sex marriage on this blog before, here and here, and the story continues to evolve. As WRAL notes here, the North [...]