A North Carolina judge has determined that racial bias played an improper role in the jury selection process for Hasson Bacote, a Black man who contested his death sentence under the North Carolina Racial Justice Act (RJA). The ruling found evidence of discrimination not only in Bacote’s case but also in prosecutions led by North Carolina Assistant District Attorney Greg Butler, as well as in Johnston County and District 11. The court relied on statistical, cultural, historical, and social science evidence, in addition to legal records and case files. Consistent with prior rulings, the judge affirmed that the RJA does not require defendants to demonstrate discrimination specifically in their case, though Bacote was able to do so.
The second presidential administration of Donald Trump has shut down a national database designed to track misconduct by federal police officers, a tool that advocates for policing reform...
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