Nifong a Topic at State Bar Council (and Feds Decline to Act for Now)

Eyewitness News 11 ^ | 1/16/07

[freespirited]

This week Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong could be slapped with more charges related to his handling of the Duke Lacrosse case.

This week the State Bar Council will be holding its quarterly meetings in Raleigh. During this time, the agency could add ethics charges against the Durham district attorney.

Nifong recused himself from the Duke Lacrosse case shortly after the state bar filed an ethics complaint against him last month. He's accused of misconduct for statements he made to the media last spring.

In a letter obtained by Eyewitness News, defense attorney, Joe Cheshire requested to meet with Nifong in March about the statements.

"I do not understand why you will reportedly speak to the media in such certain, condemning terms before all the evidence is in, but you will not have the courtesy to meet or even speak with a representative of someone you have publicly condemned," Cheshire stated in the letter.

Nifong could also face additional charges for withholding DNA evidence that was favorable to the accused players. Evidence that is now in the hands of the state's Attorney General.

"We accept these cases with our eyes wide open to the evidence, but with blinders on for all other distractions," Roy Cooper said.

The State Bar Council meets today.

The council will decide this spring if his public comments about the case were a violation of the professional rules of conduct. Nifong's ethics meeting is scheduled for May.

No Federal Probe

The U.S. Attorney General's office has responded to Congressman Walter Jones' request for a federal probe of the Duke Lacrosse Case.

In a letter delivered Thursday, Alberto Gonzales' office wrote that it would be, "Premature to initiate a federal investigation pending a criminal trial."

This means the Attorney General will not be getting involved in the case at this time.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

You've touched on those things I've been, like you, somewhat aware of. He got under the skin of Guv Morris because apparently there were some comments made about my aunt (whom Guv Morris married to give a home to her and her child born through a rape by her brother-in-law). My great, great aunt was his granddaughter. Apparently, because she was the talk of the 13 states at the time, he got a little touchy over Jefferson's relationship with Sally. Long story short, Guv was a reprobate with a heart of gold who loved and cared for the underdog, penned the Constitution because of his beautiful handwriting and grammar skills, cleaned up the legal issues (as he sat for his exams) and had more than a little time on his hands due to his handicap.

Folks stuck together in those days, and Guv apparently was okay with his grandaughter's marriage to my uncle since he was descended from the folks who gifted Washington with his Masonic apron (we still have it down in Tennessee) and served as one of his aides during the Revolution. Funny how nobody cared for years about this stuff, except some little nerd in a cubby in the library, but we have a very tiny start to this idea of America, and it was no less contentious. People seem to forget many of the things that happened to our nation and the nations of the world. Like they say, they've "moved on".

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

How bout them Dawgs!

and Go Cocks!

[Locomotive Breath]

Ever read this: Gentleman Revolutionary : Gouverneur Morris, the Rake Who Wrote the Constitution. Another interesting guy. Coulda been one of the "Founding Fathers" but kept getting distracted by other stuff.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Yes, I read it. Only after my mother made me. Seems to run in the family. Ah, well, like Brando said in "On the Waterfront," "I coulda been a contender." ;-)

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Damn, when they pull Sally and Massa Jefferson out of the closet, they are into some heavy duty racebaiting.

We still have a race problem in this country. But try to get one of those racebaiters to think this type of attitude contributes to the status quo.... Ain't gonna happen.

[Neverforget01]

"This lewd atmosphere reeked of white terrorism and gave rise to sundry hate crimes"

I wonder if the white lacrosse players can charge Crystal with a hate crime since she falsely accused white players?

[Guilty by Association]

Could and SHOULD, but alas, I'm not holding my breath.

[willie6611]

Yes, there were Federal Civil Rights violations here by both the "prosecutor" and the "victim". Also, there were state law violations for malicious prosecution and a host of other offenses both civil and criminal. The prosecutor will have certain immunities but not when the offense is malicious which here it appears it certainly was.

[Locomotive Breath]

Speaking of DNA

The DNA evidence that "Thomas Jefferson fathered all of Sally Hemmings children" that is often quoted is nowhere near that conclusive. TJ's another guy who's been falsely convicted using DNA. In fact, the DNA proves that TJ did NOT father at least one child and is silent on four more. The one descendant that did test non-exclusion for TJ meant that he had some Jefferson male, any Jefferson male, somewhere in his 200 year old bloodline. The folks that want Jefferson involved in miscegenation are the same ones that want the lax three to be guilty regardless of any contradictory evidence.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

See. False innuendo and gossip led to Jefferson's downfall as an American idol even way back in the colonies. We shouldn't rush to judgment. Sounds like it was the gossip way back then, too. ;-) The more things change the more they stay the same. OTOH, everything they said about my illustrious ancestors is pretty much true AND WE'RE DAMNED PROUD OF IT TOO. LOL

[Constitutions Grandchild]

"Damn, when they pull Sally and Massa Jefferson out of the closet, they are into some heavy duty racebaiting."

Geez, you guys, I hope you weren't referring to my posts. It was just a sidebar conversation as it happens that LB mentioned a book he'd thought I'd like. I was just talking about research my mom did and what we managed to come up with. Oops. I'll start posting privately again.

[Mad-Margaret]

While we're updating our reading lists, you all have to go to TL and read abb's contributions to the cotton shirt thread. Very funny stuff!

http://forums.talkleft.com/index.php/topic,1079.0.html

[Locomotive Breath]

One of my maiden aunts researched our family tree and traced us back to the acknowledged bastard son of Benjamin Franklin. She was so horrified to have a bastard in the family tree she immediately stopped her research. I thought - Ben Franklin = ancestor - cool.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Me, too. I have no problems with any of the black sheep. They're what we all get together and laugh about. The rest of us were pretty dull and when somebody "acts out," we all can point to our notorious ancestors and say, "See. You're just like uncle, grandpa so and so." I salute your illegitimacy, Sir.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I'm sorry. No, I wasn't. I was referring to another article which was racebating to the nth degree. and the 2 discussions just happened to appear at the same time.

I found yours interesting and even looked up Guv Morris.

Sorry if it sounded like I was replying to you.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

IIRC the conclusion was that it could have been someone from the family, but not ID'd as TJ's.

[Locomotive Breath]

It could have been any Jefferson male including TJ. This was Hemmings youngest child and TJ was in his 60's when the child was conceived was born. There was plenty of other Jefferson DNA running around. Interestingly enough, Sally and Jefferson's wife were half sisters as they had the same father.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Oh, I'm relieved. Ain't a race-baiting bone in my body. Can't afford it as we've been here too long, and I have cousins who are black skinned on one side of the family, and on the other side of the family, they have our last name and are cherished remains of what our family used to be before that darned Lincoln decided to separate our conjoined families due to his idea of what was fittin. Of course, they're too embarrassed to admit it. LOL

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Of course, they're too embarrassed to admit it. LOL

---

I hear you. I am from Hanover County, VA. Go back far enough and we are all related. I am restoring a picture of my great-grandmother, her parents, her brother and a few others standing in front of the farmhouse.

There is a blackman standing beside her brother...when I enlarged it, lo and behold, I saw he was blood kin. There is that much family resemblence. Put his picture next to mine and the only real difference is skin color. He obviously was standing with the family.

I haven't shown that to certain older relatives (by marriage-not blood, the ones I don't claim) It might be more than their aged hearts can handle.

My joke is that picture is my ticket to reparations! Where do I get in line!

[Constitutions Grandchild]

I hear you, too. Actually, when Dred Scott was heard at the Old Courthouse (and this I get directly from my grandfather), his father went down and argued that it was an "abomination" to just throw people out of their homes because of the color of their skin. He argued that they had no place to go and no way to support themselves. Of course, times being what they were, he was shouted down.

He begged to allow our families to remain together and said they could "sharecrop" the land we all lived on. No, the Court said, it was too much like slavery. If we couldn't afford to pay them, they had to go.

My great grandmother's father had a horse breeding farm over in East St. Louis, Illinois, so the two families scraped up a dollar to pay the family that had to go (times were tough during the Reconstruction), and the family that had to go paid a dollar for the farm and that's how my family's name is over in East St. Louis with a very different gene pool.

My great grandfather could only afford to pay my grandfather's nanny, and they had just built the new house for the other family to live in (my great grandparents lived in the log cabin until my great grandmother died), and when my grandparents eloped against my great grandmother's will (cause Grandpa dropped out of college to marry my grandmother), my grandparents spent their honeymoon in East St. Louis with the other family. To the day my grandfather was unable to drive anymore, he made a monthly trip over to East St. Louis to make sure "Mammy's family was okay."