In a victory over racial bias in the death penalty, Marcus Robinson's death sentence was reduced to life in prison in April 2012.
North Carolina lawmakers are trying to gut the historic Racial Justice Act.
When North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act (RJA), it was a beautiful moment. A state with a long history of racism was vowing to face that legacy head on, by honestly confronting racial bias in death penalty cases. I grew up in North Carolina and, believe me, this was needed. It was also a remarkable political achievement and it made me proud to be from there.
Then the law, which allows the use of statistical evidence to prove racial bias in capital cases, was applied.
In the case of Marcus Robinson, a North Carolina judge found that “race was a materially, practically and statistically significant factor” in jury selection at Robinson’s trial, and that statistics showed widespread racial bias in other capital cases across the state at the same time. Robinson’s death sentence was reduced to life without parole.
North Carolina’s legislature swung swiftly into action. But instead of addressing these disturbing patterns of racial bias, North Carolina lawmakers attacked the law that exposed them. Under their proposed amendment, statistical evidence of systemic discrimination would no longer be enough to prove racial bias. The best way to make a problem go away, it seems, is to ignore evidence that it exists.
This proposal of course undermines the entire purpose of the RJA, and it has already passed by a veto-proof majority in the North Carolina House. If you are from NC take action to protect racial justice in North Carolina.
I feel sad that justice failed Richard Leavitt and Michael Brawner last week! Both men were killed by the states of Idaho (Leavitt) and Mississippi (Brawner) in spite of unfair trials: Leavitt in spite of his ignored innocence, Brawner in spite of a very bad lawyer! No one cared, no one listened, and no one intervened! Justice is all lost, raped, and gone! I bet the victims' families are still rejoicing in the deaths of both inmates and saluting their governors for "a job well done in sending both monsters to hell so that justice is served and we can all get closure" while unknowingly causing both inmates' families more grief in the loss of their loved ones to state-sponsored murder! My heart breaks for the families of both inmates and victims, and I pray for their comfort and forgiveness for what they've done. I hope both Idaho and Mississippi will have to answer to God for their atrocious acts against both inmates! May Leavitt and Brawner both R.I.P. :'(