The Racial Justice Act passed its final reading in the North Carolina House of Representatives by a vote of 61 to 53. Due to differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, it will now go back to the Senate, which can either agree to the House version or convene a committee to work out a compromise. The Senate approved its version by a vote of 30 to 16 back in May.
The most telling parts of the debate were the statements made by bill opponents. Representative Leo Daughtry (R-Johnston) conceded that there is evidence of racism in the implementation of the death penalty, but encouraged others to vote against the bill because dealing with the problem would “clog up” the system. A fear of too much justice, indeed.
July 16, 2009 at 11:02 am |
Too much justice, or too much racism?