Cash woes plague NC courts, not only problem
Published October 6, 2014
Editorial by Fayetteville Observer, October 6, 2014.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin made a pitch last week for more funding for North Carolina's judicial system. The already-strapped courts received less annual increase than normal this year. They can't fill about 10 percent of positions, undermining their effectiveness. Martin is absolutely correct.
He also pointed to the recent reversal of murder convictions for two Robeson County men as an example, saying miscarriages of justice of this sort take place because funds for proper legal and forensic work are lacking. Martin is absolutely wrong.
He tried to hedge his bets, saying he can't trace problems with the Robeson case to any specific money woes. But Martin shouldn't have associated the two issues.
You could have poured as much money as you wanted into the Robeson County courts and district attorney's office in the 1980s when those men were arrested, tried and convicted. Money couldn't have fixed the character and judgment of those who mishandled the case. The unrepentant old prosecutor still contends he did nothing wrong and says the railroaded inmates should have remained on death row.
That shouldn't distract from Martin's main point. The General Assembly needs to do better by our judicial system. Let's hope the message gets through.
