"a single judge, who would be appointed by state judicial official"
Well, if it's a judge from outside the Durham crowd,
then there is a chance that may be an improvement.
But right now I am so disillusioned with and disgusted by
N. Carolina that I'm really not expecting much.
(The SBI should be in there investigating Nifong and the Durham prostitution rings and all the rest of the city
government. The AG should have taken control of this case
from Nifong--which despite his ridiculous denials, he has the power to do. And the governor should be asked by the lapdog press--or rather, the accessory press, since they have at each step of the way contributed to this crime of a prosecution--why he appointed Nifong and whether he is now disappointed in him.)
Keep up the pressure, folks.
It's only the spotlight of public opinion which is keeping the Durham crowd from getting away with this (they've operated in the dark before); and NC is only acting at all because of embarassment (justice has little to do with any actions taken by the bar or the judicial system or the law schools in NC--witness the great Duke University school of law, remaining piously silent while a lynching takes place on its front lawn. What magnificent moral authority they will have after this is all over--NOT!)
I'm optimistic about this news. And considering the timing, I think that this is "the deal" that allowed Cheek to drop out of the race. Heck! The story is a side bar to Nifong's reaction to Cheek's announcement that he would not run. Don't tell me that this isn't related!
And really! Why did Nifong even have to have a news conference? Think about it. Nifong is the sole candidate on the ballot, then enoough signatures are collected to place Cheek, a Democrat, on the ballot (and to keep GOP Monks off of it), then Cheek decides not to run for some lame excuse, and Nifong holds a news conference and releases a statement. Is this bizarre or what?
Cheek's platform was the appointment of a special prosecutor. He didn't get quite that much to drop out of the race (which I'm convinced that he never wanted to run, but the entire matter had to be contained by the local Democrats), but he did get a judge who would not be beholden to the Durham voters.
And this comes right before the third setting when all of those dispositive motions are going to be heard. And the third setting is before the Duke students are back. I wouldn't be surprised if the case is gone before Labor Day.
It strikes me that the only purpose for Nifong to have that news conference was to assure his black constituency that he still believes in this case. But out of the other side of his mouth, Nifong is talking about mistakes and lack of evidence. By appointing an out-of-Durham official to make the call and take the heat, Nifong gets out of this mess and keeps his office.
Sorry that was long.