North Carolina's Democratic governor signs Republican crime bill
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Grant Baldwin/Getty Images
Gov. Josh Stein on Friday signed a bill that aims to crack down on crime, in part by reviving the death penalty.
Why it matters: Stein says he recognizes that the Charlotte light rail stabbing, as well as last weekend's mass shooting in Southport, have rattled the public.
- The Democratic governor released a video Friday afternoon — the last day he had to sign — praising the new Republican law for placing new safeguards in the bail process for people who "may pose unusual risks of violence."
Catch up quick: State lawmakers rushed the legislation through last month after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was killed in a knife attack on a Charlotte light rail train. They named it "Iryna's Law."
- Video of the 23-year-old's last moments spread widely, fueling Republican messaging that urban crime is out of control and requires a crackdown.
The intrigue: Some Democrats have recently embraced "tough-on-crime" policies, too, Axios reports.
- Seventeen of the state's House Democrats — a third of the caucus — voted with Republicans to pass Iryna's Law. The Senate split along party lines, though most Democrats left the chambers before the vote was called.
- Stein criticized the law for a "lack of ambition" and said it doesn't do enough.
- The governor called for more mental health care resources, background checks and a red flag law to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a danger to the public.
Friction point: Litigation has held up executions in North Carolina since 2006. One of the constitutional challenges centers on lethal injection drugs and the potential pain and suffering they may cause.
- Republican Senate leader Phil Berger personally introduced a provision that aims to skirt that legal question.
- It requires the corrections secretary to choose a new method of execution if lethal injection is deemed unconstitutional or is "unavailable for any other reason."
Zoom in: Methods used elsewhere in the U.S. are the electric chair, firing squad, hanging and gas chamber.
- Stein says it would be "barbaric" to bring back the firing squad, and said it wouldn't happen while he was governor.
The other side: The Southern Coalition for Social Justice argues the death penalty is error-prone, racist and inhumane, and doesn't actually deter crime.
What's next: Most of the law's provisions go into effect Dec. 1.
- A study on mental health and the justice system will report preliminary findings in April.