Mental Illness
,Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Oct 03, 2022
California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured) has signed into law a bill that provides death-row prisoners relief from convictions or death sentences obtained “on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin.” The Calif…
Intellectual Disability
,Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Sep 04, 2020
In the closing days of its 2020 legislative session, the California legislature passed a trio of racial justice reform bills expected to reduce the influence of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic bias in the administration of the d…
Race
,Representation
,Federal Death Penalty
,Aug 17, 2020
NEWS (8/14/20) — Alabama: The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has affirmed a lower court ruling granting a new trial to death-row prisoner Ste…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Oct 04, 2012
On October 2, Judge Gregory Weeks heard testimony regarding racial bias in jury selection, as three North Carolina death row inmates challenged their sentences under the state’s Racial Justice Act. Prof. Barbara O…
Race
,Apr 22, 2012
(Superior Court, Judge Gregory Weeks, April 22, 2012) The first ruling under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act Read the
Arbitrariness
,Race
,Feb 22, 2019
Two amicus curiae briefs filed in the Racial Justice Act appeal of North Carolina death-row prisoner Rayford Burke (pictured) are asking the North Carolina Supreme Court to redress systemic proble…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Aug 11, 2009
Governor Beverly Purdue of North Carolina signed the state’s Racial Justice Act into law on August 11, concluding a long period of legislative action surrounding this death penalty statute. Gov. Purdue said in a n…
Race
,May 28, 2021
In the first Racial Justice Act case to reach a hearing since the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the state legislature’s attempt to retroactively repeal the landmark law, a North Carolina judge has ordered state prosecut…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Oct 25, 2022
When California’s Racial Justice Act becomes applicable to the cases of prisoners on the state’s death row beginning in January 2023, it will vastly reshape the legal landscape of the state’s death penalty, legal …
Race
,Jul 13, 2022
Marcus Robinson (pictured), the first person to be granted relief under North Carolina’s trailblazing Racial Justice Act, has died. Robinson, who was sentenced to death in 1994 for a crime he committed shortly aft…
Race
,Jun 30, 2020
In the June 2020 episode of Discussions with DPIC, Henderson Hill (pictured), Senior Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union Capital Punishment Project, speaks with Death Penalty Information Center Executive Directo…
Arbitrariness
,Race
,May 29, 2012
The Death Penalty Information Center has prepared a summary of North Carolina v. Robinson, the first ruling issued under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act. The opinion by Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks on April 22, …
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,May 09, 2007
North Carolina’s legislature recently took an important step toward becoming the nation’s second state to pass a Racial Justice Act, legislation that gives defendants the opportunity to challenge the death penalty based on studies show…
Race
,Dec 21, 2015
The North Carolina Supreme Court has reversed the historic rulings of a Cumberland County, N.C. trial court that had overturned the death sentences of four North Carolina death-row prisoners under the state’s Racial Justice Act. Ruling entirely on…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Jul 25, 2011
Marcus Robinson will be the first North Carolina death row inmate to have a sentencing challenge heard in court based on the state’s 2009 Racial Justice Act. According to the act, a death row inmate who can establish through statistical s…
Arbitrariness
,Race
,Jul 23, 2018
Four African-American death-row prisoners in North Carolina whose death sentences had been overturned for racial discrimination have challenged the constitutionality of subsequent state co…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Dec 14, 2011
North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue vetoed the bill that would have repealed the state’s Racial Justice Act that was passed in 2009. The Act allows death row inmates to appeal their death sentences based on statistical studies show…
Race
,Jun 29, 2012
On June 28, North Carolina’s Governor, Beverly Perdue, vetoed legislation that would have essentially repealed the state’s Racial Justice Act (RJA), a law allowing death row inmates to challenge t…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Nov 29, 2011
On November 28 the North Carolina Senate voted to repeal the state’s Racial Justice Act, which allowed death row inmates to use statistical evidence of racial bias to challenge their sentences. The House had earli…
Race
,Dec 18, 2015
In August 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act, becoming the second state to allow courts to consider statistical evidence as proof of racial bias in the administration of the death penalty. As initially writte…
Race
,Mar 14, 2024
On Friday, March 8, 2024 a Johnston County trial court concluded a historic hearing regarding the claims of Hasson Bacote, a death-sentenced prisoner in North Carolina, that racial discrimination in jury selection played a role in his 2009 c…
Race
,Mar 05, 2018
The North Carolina Supreme Court announced on March 2 that it will hear appeals from three of the four prisoners whose death sentences were reduced to life without parole under the state’s Racial Justice Act, then reinstated after the legislature …
Race
,Sep 03, 2019
The North Carolina Supreme Court (members pictured) heard arguments on August 26 and 27, 2019 on whether the state may retroactively apply the legislative repeal of its
Race
,Sep 28, 2020
The North Carolina Supreme Court has ordered that three African American death-row prisoners who had proven that their death sentences violated the state’s since repealed Racial Justice Act (RJA) must be resenten…
Race
,Jun 08, 2020
The North Carolina Supreme Court has struck down the state legislature’s attempted retroactive repeal of the state’s Racial Justice Act (RJA), restoring the rights of approximately 140 death-row prisoners to seek redress of death sentences that th…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Apr 11, 2014
On April 14, the North Carolina Supreme Court will hear appeals in the cases of the four inmates whose death sentences were reduced to life without parole under the state’s Racial Justice Act. North Carolina passed the Act in 2009…
Race
,Feb 26, 2024
Beginning February 28, 2024, a Johnston County, North Carolina, trial court will hear death row prisoner Hasson Bacote’s claims that racial discrimination in jury selection played a role in his capital sentencing. In 2009, North Carolina passed th…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Jun 15, 2012
On June 13, the North Carolina House of Representatives approved a bill to essentially overturn the state’s Racial Justice Act (RJA), a groundbreaking law that allowed a finding of racial bias in sentencing or jur…
Race
,Feb 17, 2012
The first hearing to decide whether there has been significant evidence of racial discrimination in the application of North Carolina’s death penalty was concluded on February 15. Cumberland County Judge Gregory A. Weeks, who pres…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Apr 20, 2012
On April 20, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks issued an historic ruling under the state’s Racial Justice Act finding intentional bias by the state in selecting juries for death penalty cases. In w…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Nov 18, 2011
Leaders from North Carolina’s civil rights groups, such as the NAACP, and from the defense bar have re-affirmed the need for the state’s Racial Justice Act, which was passed in 20…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Dec 13, 2012
On December 13, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Greg Weeks reduced the sentences of three death row inmates to life without parole after finding that race played a significant role in the selection of the juries in their cases…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Jul 15, 2009
On July 15, the House of Representatives of North Carolina voted 61 – 53 to pass the Racial Justice Act. A similar bill already passed the state senate, though that bill contained an amendment to bypass some objections to the state’…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Aug 06, 2009
On August 5, the North Carolina senate passed a bill allowing pre-trial defendants and death-row inmates to challenge the death penalty process through the use of statistical studies. The Racial Justice Act allows…
Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Jun 07, 2013
On June 5, legislators in North Carolina voted to repeal the Racial Justice Act, which had allowed death row inmates to challenge their sentences using statistical evidence of racial bias. Since the law took effec…
Innocence
,Race
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Apr 18, 2013
Two bills under consideration in Texas aim to address issues in the state’s death penalty. House Bill 2458 would allow defendants to appeal their death sentences if they can prove that race was a significant factor in the decision…
Race
,Apr 22, 2012
Marcus Robinson was the first defendant to receive a hearing under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act. His sentence was reduced to life without parole due to evidence of racial bias in jury selection.…
