This weekend I was with the family in Raleigh/Durham North Carolina and eating at my favorite breakfast place, Parker and Otis. The talk of the town was the latest scandal plaguing the office of the District Attorney of Durham County. You may recall the disgraceful removal of Mike Nifong from that office years ago. Now Nifong successor, Durham County District Attorney Tracey Cline, has been removed for serious allegations of prosecutorial misconduct — something of a pattern for that office it seems. Her hearing is today. She had moved for a delay of the hearing.
Gov. Bev Perdue has appointed retired Superior Court Judge A. Leon Stanback (right) to serve as the interim District Attorney for Durham Co. The appointment was made necessary after Franklin County Judge Robert Hobgood found that a petition alleging misconduct against Cline had merit. Durham lawyer Kerry Sutton filled an affidavit detailing claims of habitual intemperance and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. The allegations including attacks by Cline on Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson, who she has called corrupt and dishonest. She tried to force Hudson off cases saying that he had a bias against her.
However, Cline’s objections to Hudson occurred after he threw out the case against Derrick Allen, who had been in prison since he was convicted in the 1998 for the killing of 2-year-old Adesha Sikia Artis. Allen pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and Hudson later found that prosecutors intentionally kept information from Allen that would have helped his defense. In another case, Hudson accused Cline and her office of destroying critical evidence by having bones cremated of a victim — Lakeia Boxley. Michael Dorman was accused of killing the 31 year old and carrying around the bones with him in a knapsack.
Hudson found the destruction of the bones to be a case of “flagrantly violating” Dorman’s constitutional rights. He was right. There is obviously no more important piece of evidence than the remains of a victim in such a case.
Notably, the court rejected the intemperance claims and also found that there was no evidence that Cline ordered her subordinates to commit some of the acts alleged. Here is the opinion: cline_012712
The bar has opened an investigation into her cases. There is even a Facebook site dedicated to her removal.
Here is her recent motion: Cline Motion
Source: ABC
Gene H. 1, February 13, 2012 at 10:44 am
Interesting idea, Dredd, but while the memetic model cybernetics presents could very well apply to her apparent paranoia, it doesn’t explain the destruction of evidence.
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Ideas, i.e., memes, lead to actions of any sort. Especially in the context of a meme-complex infected with toxins of power.
Yep. Sugar and alcohol are indeed a physiological recipe for a bad hangover.
Mike check.
Gene H.,
Perhaps not knowing what an oxymoron is (myself?), I should have said a self-contradiction.
As for hangover, one experience was enough. Is it the combination of sugar and alcohol which does it? Two brain centers stimulated is too much.
Although sex and pot were nice together. “And then I was twenty-five….a very good year.”
id707,
I’m not sure if Southern Comfort is an oxymoron, but it will make one into a moron and provide a wicked hangover for the effort. 😀
Gene H. Two oxymorons.
No justice is like southern justice. That’s right, no justice IS southern justice—-but that’s what Mike S. meant perhaps.
Gentle folks, allow my scepticism: I thought all prosecutors use evidence suppression, etc as standard practice. Not by the books of course, but it’s like a “throw down” is for police. Standard equipment and/or praxis.
Is / has she overdone it to prove her bona fides as a black prosecutor; or it a case of self-selection and a given career path?
The thing speaks for itself–destroy the evidence and you destroy your case.
As is so often the case, this goes way back… Poor choice, poor outcome.
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/52620/
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Tracey Cline: The Nifongesque Choice
http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2007/10/candidate-clines-extraordinary.html
[At this stage, nothing should surprise me about this case, especially when the issue is Durham politics. Yet I confess that I am amazed that former Mike Nifong ADA Tracey Cline is a frontrunner for the position–endorsed by (of course) the Herald-Sun and several local PACs, despite the heavy shadow that Nifong should cast over her candidacy.
As of late, Cline has taken to rewriting history, claiming that she had little or nothing to do with the lacrosse case. Facts, of course, can be stubborn things. And what can also be said: if Durham County Democrats nominate Cline for district attorney, they would effectively be saying that they approve of a figure who aided the highest-profile instance of prosecutorial misconduct in recent memory.
I thought Southern Justice was an overly sweet bourbon based concoction?
Oh. Wait. That’s Southern Comfort.
Never mind.
Mike Spindell1, February 13, 2012 at 10:20 am
“Southern Justice” an oxymoron?
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maybe a soap opera…..
Interesting idea, Dredd, but while the memetic model cybernetics presents could very well apply to her apparent paranoia, it doesn’t explain the destruction of evidence.
If she was a member of that office when her predecessor faced the same self-induced situation, these may be behaviors of a meme complex playing themselves out.
She may think he was unfairly treated, or similar notions, and therefor has kind of a group think rattling around in her thinking.
Meme complexes tend to spread bad memes as well as good ones.
“Southern Justice” an oxymoron?
There’s no justice like Southern justice?
AY,
The DoJ seems to follow the same protocol.
I707,
Truly……
I am green with envy reading the P&O breakfast menu. Such fare could only be found (possibly) at the finest hotel in Stockholm (not that I’ve been there), Scrumptious, and cheap as grass by our standards.
A couple of jokes may be permitted:
#1 A reformed good ol’ boy special, always with “greens”
#4 Automatic choice of the educated and trend-conscious
#5 For visiting white shoes from WS
#6 Ahh! Bagels and lox, twice a week for me when my mother permits
#2 Where is number 2?? It’s the Cline special: Roasted evidence followed by continuous injustice to blacks. Removed due to temporary shortage.
Í would eat here everyday. They might get to calling me “judge” in deference to my age. We are often bestowed with courtesy titles down here. Is this emporium of repute perchance located near the courthouse?
I can only use whats going on in my state as to how something like this can happen.
Christie will support N.J. Supreme Court nominees regardless of state bar ruling
Published: Thursday, February 09, 2012, 3:06 PM Updated: Friday, February 10, 2012, 12:09 PM
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/christie_will_supoprt_nj_supre.html
As someone born in Durham and raised in Raleigh, I wonder if the Professor has similar links to the area? Please forgive the impertinent personal question.
I follow Ms Cline’s case in the N&O net pages.
She even gets editorialized at times there. Legal links are beyond my kin.
Seems…. that the office is just following protocol….. much to the detriment of defendants….. pleading, just to avoid the death penalty…inexcusable…
I’m not sure what’s going to sink her – the drinking, the impolitic paranoia or the destruction of evidence – but the destruction of evidence is simply inexcusable.