"The irrationally high bail is a sympton, not a cause, of Nifong being a vengeful little prick."
Nifong has nothing to do with the bail. Nifong can suggest an amount, but bottomline, it is the Court and only the Court who determines the bail amount.
Oh, please, Marajade. The court almost always goes along with the DA's bail amount request. Bail reduction hearings are common and the judges always get around to hearing them, particularly when the defendant remains in custody. It is then and only then that the judge really looks at the issue of the current bail amount. The DA request an amount and declares that the amount requested meets the guidelines, to the extent that a particular jurisdiction has a viable guideline.