Legislature Takes Aim at Racial Justice Act
Posted by Russ Communications on November 22, 2011
There is a new movement by a majority of North Carolina’s prosecutors for legislators to do away with a law they say is having a negative and costly affect on our justice system. The law in question, entitled the Racial Justice Act, allows is for defendants on death row to appeal their sentence by demonstrating that their case involved racial bias.
Those appose the bill say that if the law is left in place it will cause major set backs in North Carolinas justice system. Of the 157 people currently on death row, all but five have submitted RJA claims. With all these cases that must be reexamined, attorneys say our court system will become clogged and backed up even more than it already is.
Those who defend the Racial Justice Act have already submitted their rebuttal letter to Senate leader Phil Berger asking him to stand behind the Racial Justice Act. They say that the law was put into place to help counter the biased court and jury systems that are a harsh reality we live with.
So what is your take on the Racial Justice Act? Does it truly help to counter balance the white majority run court system, or will the abuse of the law lead to major set backs in our justice system.
