Free Republic

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Friday signed “Iryna’s Law,” which increases checks on criminals getting out on bail and prohibits cashless bail for some violent crimes and most repeat offenders following the stabbing death of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light-rail train in August. Stein, a Democrat, has said he doesn’t like every part of the bill that was passed by the Republican-controlled state Legislature, which also looks to restart executions in North Carolina, but he signed it because it “alerts the judiciary to take a special look at people who may pose unusual risks of violence before...

North Carolina Senate Republicans approved a measure Monday in honor of Iryana Zarutska, the Ukranian refugee stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail last month, that would revive the death penalty. House Bill 307 is called Iryana’s Law. Republicans say it makes several changes to remove roadblocks that have prevented the death penalty from being carried out in North Carolina. Under the proposal, instead of letting death penalty appeals sit indefinitely, they must now be heard within two years of filing, and continuances will not be granted unless the judge finds extenuating circumstances. The bill would establish lethal injection...