Gene Nichol and Heather Hunt of the NC Poverty Research Fund have released a troubling study on legislative efforts to prevent judges from waiving court fees for defendants who can’t afford them – an act that can trap defendants in the justice system long after they serve their sentence.
The News & Observer has reported that a UNC professor and columnist for the paper must add a disclaimer to his columns that he “doesn’t speak for UNC,” after one of his pieces angered allies of North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory.