Race

Alyson A. Grine and Emily Coward

Raising Issues of Race in North Carolina Criminal Cases focuses on the ways in which issues of race may arise in criminal proceedings, from the beginning of the case to its conclusion, and how best to address them. It considers such topics as stops, searches, and arrests, eyewitness identifications, peremptory challenges, and sentencing. The manual includes cases decided by the courts through September 2014 and legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly through the end of its 2014 legislative session. This is the first edition of the manual. Production of the manual was made possible with funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The manual may be purchased as a soft-bound book here.

"A timely new resource for lawyers and judges involved in the criminal justice system. If I had the ability, I would require all participants in the system to be familiar with the contents of this extraordinary manual.”

 —James E. Coleman Jr., John S. Bradway Professor of the Practice of Law, Duke University School of Law; and Chair, North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System

“The response of court actors to issues of racial bias must be clear and decisive. This manual is a groundbreaking resource that will aid court actors at every stage of the criminal justice system in safeguarding the rights of criminal defendants and the integrity of the court system.”

—Patricia Timmons-Goodson, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of North Carolina (retired)

“Maintaining public trust, from the police encounter through sentencing, requires that race play no role in how people are treated throughout the process. This manual provides an important tool for ensuring that criminal trials are free from improper influences of race.”

—Benjamin David, District Attorney, North Carolina Fifth Judicial District (New Hanover and Pender Counties)

"Raising Issues of Race in North Carolina Criminal Cases is an important addition to the library of every trial lawyer. This significant book gives us the tools to help all those we represent. Cheers to the Indigent Defense Education group at the School of Government for this effort to help us take steps toward enlightenment and understanding—and, thus, to be better lawyers."

 —Jim Fuller, Attorney, McIntosh Law Firm, Davidson, North Carolina; Former Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals; and Former President, North Carolina Advocates for Justices

2014

About the Authors


Alyson A. Grine

Alyson A. Grine is an Assistant Professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law. Previously, Grine served as the Defender Educator at the School of Government from 2006 until 2016. She continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the School’s NC Racial Equity Network. Grine received the Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Teaching Excellence Award from the School in 2012 and the Margaret Taylor Writing Award in 2015 for her work on Raising issues of Race in North Carolina Criminal Cases. Prior to 2006, Grine worked for five years as an Assistant Public Defender in Orange and Chatham counties. She served as a judicial clerk for Chief Justice Henry Frye of the NC Supreme Court in 2000 and for Judge Patricia Timmons-Goodson of the NC Court of Appeals in 1999. In recognition of her work on issues of race and criminal justice, Grine received the James E. Williams award in 2016 from the North Carolina Public Defenders Association. Grine earned a BA with distinction and a JD with honors from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MA in Spanish from the University of Virginia.

Emily Coward

Emily Coward is a member of the School of Government’s Indigent Defense Education group and serves as the Project Attorney for the NC Racial Equity Network, formed in 2014. Coward received the Margaret Taylor Writing Award in 2015 for her work on Raising Issues of Race in North Carolina Criminal Cases. In recognition of her work on issues of race and criminal justice, she received the James E. Williams award in 2016 from the North Carolina Public Defenders Association. Before joining the School in 2012, Coward served as a law clerk for Judge James Robertson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2006 to 2008 and for Justice Thembile Skweyiya of the Constitutional Court of South Africa in 2009. From 2009 to 2011, she represented clients in civil and post-conviction matters as a staff attorney with North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services. She earned a BA from Oberlin College and a JD magna cum laude from Duke University School of Law.