Do you think it is "possible" that state law takes precedence in this matter? I do.. It's got to grind through the state.
I guess you're right, but just once in my life I'd like to see a federal civil rights statute used to stop a race hustle rather than perpetuate one. These lacrosse players are as much victims of state judicial misconduct as any Black victim during the Jim Crow era.
NC does not have any statutes for criminal prosecution of civil rights violations, only civil penalties. The state's civil rights division within the OAH - Office of Administrative Hearings only addresses employment discrimination.
Here are the civil rights statutes for NC - they are all civil actions, all of which I've previously posted:
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_99D/GS_99D-1.html