In March, Democratic voters will get a chance to pick Wake County’s next district attorney from a field of three. Meanwhile, most judges in Wake County up for reelection are running unopposed, and voters will have to wait until November to make their pick for sheriff.
All of this year’s judicial and law enforcement races are taking place amid new state laws restricting officials’ discretion and a political climate that is not exactly friendly to criminal justice reform.
Iryna’s Law, passed in the wake of a fatal stabbing in Charlotte that has become a flashpoint in national politics, could resume executions in death penalty cases in North Carolina. It also limits judges’ abilities to grant pretrial release, and requires judges to justify, in writing, granting pretrial release to anyone charged with a violent offense or with three or more prior qualifying convictions—which could have a chilling effect—among other provisions…