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I am going through all of myold posts on this and will put up a few things I forgot about.

Woody Vann, Mark Simeon, Doesn't matter: seems as if this is standard MO
Nifong Press Release 6/19/2006 (Nifong Attacks Press!!)
	Posted by Protect the Bill of Rights to JLS; All On General/Chat 06/21/2006 1:23:22 PM EDT · 402 of 547 FYI (interesting facts) http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:Z6rN3UjpyxAJ:www.law.duke.edu/news/inthenews1999.html+%22durham+nc%22+%22traffic+court%22+scandal&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1 10.19.99 The News & Observer (N.C.) 2 Durham driving cases get unusual treatment. ... Nezra Clark, with a record of 14 moving violations and a suspended license, took a chance in April 1998 when he got behind the wheel of a car. He lost. Clark was arrested for a 15th traffic violation and faced the possibility of losing his license for a year and spending 45 days in jail. Instead, Clark, 26, paid a $500 fine and walked out of the courthouse Sept. 2, 1999, with his driver's license in force. The difference between his case and thousands of others in Durham's traffic court: Clark was represented by H. Woody Vann, a lifelong friend and the campaign treasurer for Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin Jr., who personally signed off on Clark's plea agreement. ... Thomas Metzloff, a senior associate dean at Duke Law School, said when asked to review the circumstances that it was inappropriate for a lawyer to claim special privilege the way doctors do, because there is a critical difference: The legal system is a public trust administered by court officials, not a private business. "It's insulting to the public," Metzloff said. "If anything, we attorneys are not above the law -- we are a part of the legal system, and that kind of accommodation is antithetical to the rule of law." ...

02.23.99
The News & Observer (N.C.) In Durham County traffic court, citizens who represent themselves aren't offered the same breaks as those who hire lawyers. That means that under a policy set by Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin, people with the same charges and same records can get lighter penalties just for spending $200 to higher an attorney... Tom Metzloff, senior associate dean at Duke's law school and an expert in legal ethics, said the courts shouldn't favor people with lawyers. ...