North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have essentially repealed a 2009 law designed to address alleged racial bias in death penalty cases, saying it is essential the legal process isn't tarnished by prejudice.
Perdue, forced to wade into a controversial topic two weeks ago when the Republican-led Legislature approved the repeal bill, signed the Racial Justice Act into law shortly after taking office in 2009.
The Democratic governor said she's vetoing the bill "for the same reason that I signed the Racial Justice Act two years ago: it is simply unacceptable for racial prejudice to play a role in the imposition of the death penalty in North Carolina."
Perdue said in a prepared statement she supports capital punishment and is committed to keeping it "a viable punishment option in North Carolina in appropriate cases." But she also said it's essential that the death penalty be carried out fairly because it's the ultimate punishment and she feels the 2009 law did that.
Prosecutors who pushed the repeal said the act would clog up the court system with new appeals, creating a permanent moratorium on capital punishment. Nearly all of the 158 prisoners currently on death row have filed papers under the Racial Justice Act.
Source: HamptonRoads, December 14, 2011
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