Arguments against bail bonds bill continue to mount
If you want to get a glimpse of just how crazy and extreme things are getting at the General Assembly during the session’s hectic waning days, check out the debate surrounding this bill from the bail...
View ArticleGovernment by tantrum
Here is the kind of thing that was being referenced when we reported recently that the North Carolina General Assembly was starting to resemble the U.S. Congress. According to this report, opponents of...
View ArticleLegal aid suffers funding cuts as demand for services soars
An op-ed by John Levi, chair of the Board of Directors of the national Legal Services Corporation, is highlighted in today’s edition of Raleigh’s News & Observer. In it, Levi makes plain just how...
View ArticleMore on the Newby recusal complaint
In addition to reading Sharon McCloskey’s excellent summary, you can read all 42 pages of the Motion for Recusal of Justice Paul Newby in the legislative redistricting case by clicking here. It’s a...
View ArticleWill guns land back before the Supreme Court?
In a ruling that may push the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider earlier gun rights decisions, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago held yesterday that the Second Amendment right “to keep and...
View ArticleNew Obama court appointee: A positive sign for NC?
With the in-state news so universally dreadful this week, a body is forced to look elsewhere to find some shreds of hope. Here’s at least one non-NC item that might even portend something good for our...
View ArticleNAACP calls again on Hagan and Burr to help integrate the federal bench
Just released this afternoon…. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 21 February 2013 The NC NAACP once again urges Senators Burr and Hagan to help put an end to the historic exclusion of African American judges from...
View ArticleCourts-related bills in the General Assembly
Here’s a quick rundown of courts-related bills filed in the General Assembly this session: HB 161 Provides magistrates are subject to same mandatory retirement age as judges, but applies only to those...
View ArticleJoin us for an important discussion of “why courts matter”
NC Policy Watch and the North Carolina Justice Center are proud to announce a very special Crucial Conversation luncheon: Why courts matter (and why North Carolinians should be paying a lot more...
View ArticleDon’t miss next Tuesday’s Crucial Conversation on the federal courts
Don’t forget to RSVP for next Tuesday’s N.C. Policy Watch Crucial Conversation, “Why courts matter (and why North Carolinians should be paying a lot more attention to them)” - featuring the Honorable...
View ArticleSeats going fast for next Tuesday’s Crucial Conversation on the courts
As the recent controversial actions of the North Carolina General Assembly make abundantly clear, the future of the courts in this country has rarely been more important. Please join us for a special...
View ArticleLast call for tomorrow’s Crucial Conversation lunch with Judge James Wynn
A few seats remain for tomorrrow’s luncheon: Why courts matter (and why North Carolinians should be paying a lot more attention to them): Featuring the Honorable James A. Wynn, Jr., Judge of the United...
View ArticleQuick and decisive action needed to resolve judicial emergencies
Close to 100 attorneys, progressive advocates and Triangle-area residents gathered today to discuss the continuing judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North...
View ArticleNational expert on the courts in the Triangle today
There will be two great opportunities today to hear from one of the nation’s experts on the state of the judiciary — and particularly the right’s intentional and successful effort to gain control of...
View ArticleSupreme Court upholds DNA samplings from individuals under arrest
The Fourth Amendment makes strange bedfellows. Today’s 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Maryland v. King—that police can take DNA samples from individuals arrested for serious crimes—found the...
View ArticlePollster: Republican Voters Favor Judicial Public Financing, Oppose Lawmakers...
A new survey by a Republican polling firm finds that legislators may want to think twice before scrapping North Carolina’s embattled judicial public financing program. Here’s more on the findings from...
View ArticleMore redistricting hearings on tap for today
Per their order entered on May 13, the three-judge panel handling the redistricting case will hold hearings today and tomorrow to consider specific factual issues before deciding the parties’...
View ArticleHouse budget on the courts: Closer to the Governor
Here’s a quick look at the impact that the House budget (being released in piecemeal fashion) would have on the courts: Magistrates: Adds 16 magistrates to counties currently with only three, in line...
View ArticleMake that three: House budget eliminates public funding for judicial campaigns
Despite overwhelming support for the program from judges, voters and former governors, Republicans in the House have stepped in line with the Governor and their colleagues in the Senate and proposed in...
View ArticleFinally, a nominee for the Eastern District
President Obama announced today that he would nominate Jennifer May-Parker to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. May-Parker will fill the nearly-eight year vacancy...
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