UPDATED! NC ACTION: People of Faith Against the Death Penalty

NC Racial Justice Act Amended Badly,
Passes First Vote in NC Senate

The NC Senate voted for the NC Racial Justice Act today on a second reading; however, the bill was amended to negate the power of the NC Council of State over reviewing execution protocols and to keep doctors, nurses, and pharmacists from being punished for participating in poisoning prisoners to death.

In other words, the NC Senate for the first time explicitly acknowledged that racial bias is a serious problem in North Carolina's death penalty and called for new court procedures to address it. Yet, in the same statement removed two other checks on the death penalty system so that executions could resume at a rate not seen since the height of the Jim Crow era. (North Carolina's courts-imposed moratorium has been in effect for nearly three years and a large number of NC death row prisoners are approaching or have reached the ends of their appeals. The state would not have executed so many people since the 1940s.)

Still, today's vote includes a significant victory thanks to the efforts of hundreds of people who communicated with the legislators and the work of a coalition of advocates from numerous organizations. Thank you!

This bill is not law. It will receive a third and final reading and vote tomorrow in the Senate and then be sent to the NC House of Representatives. The House will not vote on its version of the bill. Instead it will take up the Senate version in committee, where the new amendments could face stiff challenges. It could face further scrutiny in a conference committee.

The reality appears to be that there are considerable numbers of legislators in both chambers who support both the provisions of the Racial Justice Act and removing obstacles to executions. They do not want to be in opposition to "racial justice" and they get to look tough on crime.

To see all of the amendments to the Senate bill visit:

here

The Senate vote on the bill was 35-13. The hostile amendment passed by a margin of 36-10. A second hostile amendment to reduce the basis of statistical evidence to just the prosecutorial district where the case is based was defeated 21-27.

To see the bill visit:

here

People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
www.pfadp.org
110 W. Main St., Suite 2-G,
Carrboro NC 27510
(919) 933-7567

CLICK for website here
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Actions for NC Racial Justice Act

The NC Racial Justice Act will be heard tomorrow, May 12, 2009 by both the NC Senate Judiciary I Committee and the NC House Judiciary I Committee.

The NC Senate Judiciary I Committee will meet from 9:00 am - 11:00 am in room 1027 of the Legislative Building, 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh.

The NC House Judiciary I Committee will meet at 10:00 am in room 1228 of the Legislative Building, 16 W. Jones Street, Raleigh.

We need your help! Please take a minute and send emails to the members of the Senate Judiciary I Committee and the House Judiciary I Committee.

Follow this link to send an email to the entire Senate Judiciary I Committee:

here

Follow this link to send an email to the entire House Judiciary I Committee:

here

Thank you for your support!

People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
www.pfadp.org
110 W. Main St., Suite 2-G, Carrboro NC 27510
(919) 933-7567

LINK to pfadp here