There wasn't enough news last week to justify a news roundup, but there sure was this week: 1. The SBI lab saga continues. The president of the Conference of District Attorneys has called for a moratorium on executions until the issues with the lab are resolved, as discussed here. The Conference is also asking for an independent audit of every unit within the lab, as discussed here. Members of the defense bar have suggested that the lab should be reconstituted as an independent entity, not under the Department of Justice. I speculate that the General Assembly will jump into this issue next session. 2. The Highway Patrol has also received some negative attention in recent months. The most recent development on that front is described in this News and Observer article, which begins: "State troopers should live in the counties where they work and should inform dispatchers by radio anytime someone of the opposite sex is in their cruiser, an advisory panel recommended Wednesday." The linked article details some of the panel's other suggestions, too. 3. Governor Perdue has appointed Special Superior Court Judge Cressie Thigpen to fill the court of appeals seat vacated by Judge Jim Wynn's departure for the Fourth Circuit. (A news story so reporting is here.) The seat will be up for election this fall, and thirteen people have filed for it, including Judge Thigpen. (Story here, full list of candidates and description of the "instant runoff" voting procedure that will be used here.) 4. A couple [...]
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