CNN reports that “[t]he latest FBI annual hate crimes report shows a sharp spike in the number of hate crimes nationwide, with attacks against Muslims increasing the most sharply.” The report is based on data from 2015, compared to 2014. While the percentage increase for crimes against Muslims was greatest, anti-Semitic incidents were the most prevalent in absolute terms. The report is available here. Has there been an increase in hate crimes after the recent presidential election? Yes. Or, no. Or, yes, just like after President Obama was first elected. We may need more than 10 days of data to answer that question definitively. Keep reading for more news. State Supreme Court, Part I. Various news outlets including the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News & Record, and WRAL are reporting that state legislators may be considering expanding the North Carolina Supreme Court by adding two justices to the court in a special legislative session before the end of the year. The article from the Winston-Salem Journal says that one of its sources is a state legislator, but also says that other lawmakers have indicated that they are unaware of a plan to add justices to the court. State Supreme Court, Part II. UNC law professor John Orth writes in the News and Observer that the state supreme court has adopted new Rule 29.1. The rule provides that “the Chief Justice may, when necessary to avoid the possibility of an evenly divided disposition [such as when one justice recuses himself or herself], [...]
Faculty Coordinators
