Late Wednesday, the state house passed a bill that essentially guts the Racial Justice Act. This monstrosity passed with a 72-47 margin after five conservative Democrats defected--enough to override a veto. Apparently the Democrats were assured by provisions that supposedly protect against racial bias, even though the proposed bill would make it all but impossible to use the kind of statistical evidence that allowed Marcus Robinson to get his sentence commuted to life earlier this year.

The bill now goes to the state senate, which passed a similar repeal attempt last fall by a veto-proof margin. But there's still time to head this off at the pass. Tell the state senate to let the Racial Justice Act stand.

Earlier this morning, Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Greg Weeks issued a potentially landmark ruling in the first-ever appeal of a death sentence under the Racial Justice Act. Weeks ruled that prosecutors in Cumberland County deliberately kept blacks off the jury in Robinson's 1994 trial.

Robinson relied heavily on a study by Michigan State that found a 20-year pattern of blacks being excluded from juries more than potential jurors of other races. Specific to his case, blacks were excluded 3.5 times more than whites.

Read Weeks' ruling here.

cross-posted at dKos

As many of you know, I'm trying to get my alma mater, the University of North Carolina, to tell the seven stations in its sports radio network that also carry Rush Limbaugh that they need to take their pick--keep their affiliation with Rush or keep their affiliation with Tar Heel football and basketball. They can't have both. And Rush's sorry attempt at an apology only proves it.

I'm as big a Tar Heel fan as I am a Democrat--and not just because I'm also a graduate (class of '00). So you'll have to pardon me if I'm a little confused about something. In what world can the owner of one of the strongest brands in college athletics allow a station to trade on said brand when said station airs a guy who not only thinks it's okay to call a woman a "slut" and a "prostitute," but then fobs it off as an attempt at humor gone awry?

The lies just keep piling up for State Senate Deputy President Pro Tem James Forrester. We already knew his claims to be a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and an associate fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association were false. If those weren't enough reason to demand Forrester's resignation, WRAL's Laura Leslie dug up something today that practically screams for him to go.

Forrester's campaign website also says he is a member of the American Medical Association. An AMA spokesperson says Forrester is not currently a member of the group.

Forrester claims the errors were inadvertent. I'd find that a little easier to believe if the claims weren't STILL on his campaign Website as of now (10:32 pm Eastern).