Yesterday, Justice Stephen Breyer officially resigned his seat on the Supreme Court of the United States after 28 years of service. Justice Breyer, universally described as a kind and humble person, was one of the more liberal members of the current Court on criminal justice matters. In his famous dissent in Glossip v. Gross, 576 U.S. 863 (2015), he argued that the death penalty “in and of itself” constitutes a cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. His replacement and former law clerk, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, was sworn in by Chief Justice Roberts. ABC news has more details here, including a lovely picture of Justices Breyer and Brown Jackson together. Keep reading for more news. Durham detainees stay in school. The Durham County Sheriff's Office and the Durham Public Schools have a joint program designed to allow jailed high school students to continue their studies. The school system provides a full-time teacher to serve inmates’ educational needs. WNCN reports here that one of the inmates – detained in connection with a murder charge – recently received his diploma and participated in a virtual graduation. Hemp legalization bill and others heading to Governor Cooper’s desk as legislative session winds down. WRAL has a story here about the flurry of bills coming out of the legislature as it works to wrap up this year’s session. The story mentions a hemp legalization measure, changes to the DVPO process, and a temporary suspension of certain automatic expunctions as among the bills for [...]
Faculty Coordinators
