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Archive: February 2021

Attorney for Man Granted Clemency: At Minimum, Legal System Should Clear Hurdles for Exonerated

February 9, 2021

By Ruthie Kesri

Gov. Roy Cooper announced in late December he would be issuing pardons of innocence to five men he believed were innocent, serving time for crimes they did not commit.

Cooper’s actions allow for those five men to … Continue Reading →

Ronnie Long Closer to Freedom After Federal Court Rules his Rights Were Violated

August 26, 2020

Ronnie Long has spent 44 years in prison for a crime he’s claimed since the beginning he didn’t commit, and he is closer now than ever to freedom after a federal court ruled this week that his constitutional rights were … Continue Reading →

NC Lawmakers to Gov. Cooper: It’s Time to Release Ronnie Long

July 30, 2020

Fourteen North Carolina lawmakers from across the state are urging Gov. Roy Cooper to commute Ronnie Long’s sentence – he is represented by Jamie Lau at Duke Law School’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

Long, a Black man who is now 64, … Continue Reading →

Duke Law Faculty: Cooper Should Use Clemency Power, Release Related Records

July 16, 2020

Roy Cooper may become the first North Carolina governor in more than 40 years to complete a term without granting clemency to a single person, which includes sentence commutations and pardons of forgiveness or innocence.

Three faculty at the Duke … Continue Reading →