News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on May 26, 2023.

There have been some bumps in the road in the rollout of eCourts, the new electronic platform the court system is using in a handful of pilot counties for filing and case management. Now WRAL reports that a class action lawsuit has been filed alleging that the system “is keeping people in jail longer than they should be, and led to hundreds of people being arrested for things they did not do.” For example, the plaintiffs contend that “a Wake County woman was arrested multiple times on the same warrant for charges that were dismissed by a judge.” The Administrative Office of the Courts is not a named defendant but stated in the article that it has “not substantiated that any allegations of wrongful arrest or incarceration was caused” by the new system. Keep reading for more news. Oath Keepers founder sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. The Associated Press reports here that Stuart Rhodes, Yale Law School graduate and founder of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in connection with the January 6 storming of the United States Capitol. The sentencing judge agreed with the government that a “terrorism enhancement” should apply under the applicable sentencing guidelines. Rhodes argued in court that he was a political prisoner and has said that he plans to appeal. Los Angeles judge requires zero bail for many defendants. A superior court judge in Los Angeles ruled this week that the bail schedules in use there violate equal [...]