This week, the General Assembly passed H 307, Iryna’s Law. The bill follows the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte last month. The measure is now with Governor Stein. If it becomes law, it would make a number of changes to proceedings involving pretrial release; would add a new aggravating sentencing factor; would alter the way magistrates may be disciplined; would require hearings on capital MARs normally be held within 24 months of filing; and would expand the permissible methods of execution, among other things. WRAL has some information about the bill’s progress through the legislature here, and a piece here exploring the decision that Governor Stein now must make to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. He has 10 days to decide. Keep reading for more news.
Vice President Vance visits Concord, addresses crime. The Vice President held an event in an airplane hangar in Concord this week. His remarks apparently focused on crime, public safety, and supporting law enforcement. He referenced the death of Ms. Zarutska and attributed it to “soft on crime” policies and political leaders, including former Governor Cooper. He also addressed political violence and the murder of Charlie Kirk. A diverse set of perspectives on the event may be found in this piece from The Assembly and this one from the Carolina Journal.
Former FBI Director indicted. WRAL reports here that former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictment apparently “accuses Comey of lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee” about whether he had authorized anyone at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about an FBI inquiry concerning former Senator, First Lady, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. After the indictment came down, Mr. Comey promptly released a video proclaiming his innocence. The process of charging him was controversial, with the top federal prosecutor in the district where charges were brought resigning under pressure last week and other prosecutors in the office reportedly “detail[ing] in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.”
Diddy wants out. Earlier this week, WRAL ran this story about a sentencing memorandum submitted on behalf of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who earlier this year was convicted of two violations of the Mann Act. The story states that Mr. Combs’s lawyers “urged a judge . . . to sentence him to no more than 14 months in prison for his conviction on two prostitution-related charges, meaning he would go free almost immediately if the judge agreed.” The attorneys contended that Mr. Combs has been punished enough, as his “celebrity status in the realms of music, fashion, spirits, media, and finance has been shattered.” Prosecutors have not yet filed a sentencing memorandum but are expected to ask for a substantial prison sentence.
No one knows how to pronounce “amicus.” But they try, and they use at least three different versions. Even the Justices of the Supreme Court pronounce it in various different ways, so some of them must be saying it wrong, which gives me comfort. SCOTUSblog explores the pronunciation debate and other vital topics in this interesting post.
The blogs, they are a-changin’. The first legal blog I read regularly was Sentencing Law and Policy, by Doug Berman. More than two decades later it is moving from its traditional home to a new location and new host, with a new look and feel. Professor Berman has been musing about whether to shift his energies to Substack. As to whether the new version is an improvement, judge for yourself. Personally, I’m nostalgic for the original. Note that the blog you are reading right now will soon undergo a bit of a transformation as well. We’ll be updating our infrastructure and changing our design language, but we expect the change to be more of a glow-up than a reinvention. The URL should stay the same. Stay tuned for future updates on the new platform, and thanks for sticking with us for the past sixteen plus years.