Racial Justice Act is not about racial justice; it's about the use of statistics to demonstrate racial or judicial bias, which is easily illustrated.
When a white male is determined by a North Carolina Court of Appeals to be innocent of indecent exposure, though charged and convicted in Superior Court of "Mooning," which the N.C. Court of Appeal overturns; but a black male--charged in a N.C. Superior Court with disorderly conduct [which record still stands] for intentionally causing a public disturbance by using finger gesture to a police officer, though symbolic speech has long been protected under the First Amendment--and he is convicted, fined, not appointed an attorney, and the prosecutor, who was asked to throw out the case is eventually made a Judge and no redress is extended, then Racial bias is evident.
So, why not just call a Spade a Spade?
Craig Jarvis [N&O, Friday, January 6, 2012] refers to the law ensconced in the Racial Justice act as the Capital Case law on Page 10a of the Friday, January 6, 2012.
Thus, it appears even he knows the Racial Justice Law has nothing to do with Racial Justice, for why else would Governor Perdue's former General Counsel, Edwin Speas, who was Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Special Litigation Division of the N.C. Department of Justice under Lacy H. Thornburg when the incident occurred--and former Spokesperson, Chrissy Pearson, and who both resigned before either would give a response to my letter sent certified to Governor Perdue and delivered by Process Server, seeking Racial Justice by amending N.C. Actual Innocence Law to apply also to those not incarcerated, who do not need DNA to prove their innocence, but who were wrongly convicted by the Courts [Not just by a jury], and to issue an apology, and compensate such a victim with a referral to the "Victim-Advocate Liaison" [who may still be Keith Sutton] in the N.C. Governor's Crime Commission.
It just may be that the newest state bar president Martin Brinkley, a Raleigh Attorney, a graduate of Harvard, now president of the State Bar, understands Rule 1.3 concerning Professional Conduct, which reads:
A lawyer having knowledge that another lawyer has committed a violation of the rules of Professional Conduct that raises question of honesty, trustworthyness, or fitness as a lawyer shall inform the N.C. State Bar.
Martin Brinkley who passed the bar in 1992 is listed in the Martin-Dale Hubbell law Directory of 2003 as having an AV Rating. I believe few, if any, of Easley's or Perdue's appointees can make that assertion.
That's my perspective on the Racial Justice Act. Let's hear yours!