I am happy to announce that today is Ian Mance’s second day as a Resource Attorney with the Public Defense Education group at the School of Government. For the next six months, Ian will serve as an educational resource for attorneys representing indigent defendants and respondents regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the courts and criminal justice system. You can reach Ian, pictured below, at mance@sog.unc.edu. Please let us know the issues you believe need to be addressed.
There is no shortage of challenges ahead, from identifying when people held in custody may be released, to protecting the rights of defendants and others in court proceedings, to maintaining safe conditions of confinement. Ian will research constitutional and statutory issues, gather and analyze data, consult with and provide online training for the public defense community, develop model materials and best practices, and collaborate with others in the North Carolina courts and criminal justice system. There is a lot to do.
Ian is uniquely positioned to provide immediate support. He has done a mix of civil and criminal work since graduating from UNC Law School in 2013. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in Justice Studies from Appalachian State. Most recently, Ian worked at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, where among other things he launched the Open Data Policing project. The site aggregates and makes it easier to view public records related to all known traffic stops that occurred in North Carolina since 2002 (as well as in Maryland and Illinois). The data comes from information collected pursuant to North Carolina’s mandatory data collection statute and reported monthly to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. It is an impressive and important piece of work. He also has handled prison and jail cases, worked with sheriffs on use of force policies, and taught at School of Government training events.
We are lucky to have Ian aboard if only for a limited time. So, please reach out to him, at mance@sog.unc.edu, with your questions, concerns, and challenges during these difficult times. I hope all of you are well.
This is great news!
Welcome aboard Ian! IDS is grateful to have your assistance as the NC public defense system works throught these challenging times.
on behalf of magistrates, welcome. on behalf of magistrates hearing small claims cases, i’m curious as to what effect, if any, covid may have on residential leases. is there an implied “force majeure” defense? is the CARES ACt an affirmative defense? any guidance would be appreciated.
Magistrate Hoyle, Dona posted about the CARES Act on the Civil Blog. https://civil.sog.unc.edu/summary-ejectment-will-the-cares-act-solve-the-backlog-problem/ but as of yet, there has not been any guidance from the OGC
thanks for responding. i read the blog but, as you point out, there was not a lot of guidance. i hope that when you can you will, perhaps, give the small claim magistrates some help so that we can make the way we handle this backlog of cases we face, somewhat uniform.