News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on April 01, 2022.

On Tuesday, President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law, bipartisan legislation that amends 18 U.SC. § 249 by expressly making lynching a federal hate crime.  A Time article explains that the bill will allow criminal prosecutions in situations where a group of people conspire to commit a hate crime which results in death or serious bodily injury.  The NewsHour aired a lengthy segment this week on the new law and the history of racial violence in the United States.  The bill passed the Senate unanimously and was opposed by only three members of the House of Representatives.  Keep reading for more news. CJIL Job.. Readers may be interested to know that the School of Government's Criminal Justice Innovation Lab is hiring a Marketing and Communications Manager.  In addition to developing and implementing marketing and communications strategies sharing the Lab's work and building its brand, the position will be responsible for managing the Lab's website redesign project.  More information about the position and a link to the application is available here. The Slap.  One of the most widely discussed criminal law stories in the United States this week occurred at the Oscars on Sunday night where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television after Rock made a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith, who is married to Smith.  A range of opinions have been expressed about the incident and they can be found everywhere from serious newspapers to your friend’s Twitter feed.  Rock declined to press [...]