Justice
April 28, 2017 -
Earlier this year, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced plans to execute eight death row inmates over a 10-day period this month in a rush to use a lethal injection drug before it expired. But in doing so, the state may have subjected the mentally impaired to cruel and unusual punishment and denied DNA evidence to a man who could have proven his innocence.
April 21, 2017 -
When New York passed "Raise the Age" legislation last week, North Carolina became the only state that automatically prosecutes 16- and-17-year-olds as adults. The N.C. legislature is now considering similar legislation to end the state's outlier status when it comes to youth justice.
April 19, 2017 -
As legislation to limit residents' ability to collect damages in civil lawsuits against factory farms makes its way through the N.C. General Assembly, a new mapping project offers a clearer picture of who would be affected by the controversial proposal.
April 14, 2017 -
When states preempt progressive local policies, it's not just a political power struggle that ensues but real suffering for those who would benefit most from anti-discrimination, minimum wage and other measures.
April 12, 2017 -
The effort to release a North Carolina man who many believe has been imprisoned for over 20 years for a murder he did not commit is getting renewed attention — and shining a spotlight on a criminal justice system that's seven times more likely to convict innocent Black people of murder than innocent whites.
April 7, 2017 -
GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation to drastically limit damages that agricultural operations pay in civil cases where they've been found to cause harm. The measure disadvantages the communities of color most likely to be located near the state's hog farms but would help a Chinese-owned pork producer currently facing dozens of such lawsuits.
March 31, 2017 -
Immigrant-welcoming local governments in the South are navigating a challenging political terrain as states in the region adopt bans on so-called "sanctuary" policies and as the federal government also moves to crack down on sanctuary communities.