ACLU-NC Condemns Veto Override of Racial Justice Act Repeal Bill

Civil Liberties Group Says it’s a “Sad Day for Justice and for North Carolina”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

RALEIGH – Today the North Carolina House and Senate voted to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of SB 416, a bill that would effectively repeal the state’s historic Racial Justice Act by no longer allowing individuals to use statewide statistics in order to demonstrate racial bias in our state’s capital punishment system.

In response, Sarah Preston, Policy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, offered the following comment:

“This is a sad day for justice and for North Carolina. By gutting the Racial Justice Act, our legislature has turned its back on the overwhelming evidence of racial bias in our state’s death penalty system. Politicians have decided they would rather sweep disturbing information under the rug than work to ensure that racial bias plays no role in North Carolina’s death penalty.”

The ACLU of North Carolina is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving and expanding the guarantees of individual liberty found in the United States Constitution, the North Carolina Constitution, and related federal and state civil rights laws. With more than 10,000 members and supporters throughout the state and an office located in Raleigh, the organization achieves its mission through advocacy, public education, community outreach, and when necessary, litigation.