National Roundup

Virginia
State Supreme Court signs off on new legislative maps
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Supreme Court of Virginia said Tuesday that it had unanimously approved maps establishing congressional and state legislative districts under the commonwealth’s new redistricting process.

In an  order, the court said it had reviewed final redistricting maps — which were put together by two court appointees called special masters — as well as extensive public comment on earlier draft maps.

The special masters fully complied with state and federal law in creating the maps, the court said. The final maps are approved and adopted, effective immediately, according to the court order.

The once-a-decade redrawing of political maps had fallen to the court after a newly created bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on maps for either Congress or the General Assembly.

The special masters who drew the maps, Sean Trende and Bernard Grofman, were nominated by each political party. The process also included public comment both in writing and through hearings before the court.

“We drew maps which did not unduly favor either party. These maps came about as part of a partisan and incumbency blind process based on good government map making,” Trende and Grofman wrote in a 63-page memo dated Monday that outlines some of the many changes made between the draft and final versions of the maps.

Trende and Grofman wrote in their memo that the maps reflect “a true joint effort.”

They said they agreed on almost all issues initially, “and the few issues on which we initially disagreed were resolved by amicable discussion.”

Interested parties were reviewing the maps late Tuesday. None of the General Assembly caucuses had any immediate comment.

OneVirginia2021, a redistricting reform advocacy group that supported the ballot measure creating the new redistricting process, said in a statement that a first glance at the maps and memo showed the special masters “went above and beyond to incorporate as many specific public comments as possible.”

Trende and Grofman wrote in the memo that under the new Congressional maps, like in their draft version, they would generally expect a 6-5 Democratic edge in Virginia’s congressional delegation, compared with the 7-4 advantage the party holds now.

They also acknowledged criticism from some parties who said they had paid insufficient attention to protecting incumbents, either by weakening congressional members’ districts or pairing together multiple state lawmakers.
“We believe that one reason for employing redistricting commissions, however, is to minimize the power of politicians over the drawing of lines,” the memo said.


North Carolina
Parole canceled for man convicted of killing Michael Jordan’s father
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The scheduled August 2024 parole for one of two men convicted in the murder of Michael Jordan’s father nearly three decades ago has been canceled, a North Carolina state panel said Tuesday.

The state Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission  had announced in 2020  that Larry M. Demery would be released as part of an agreement in which he would take part in a scholastic and vocational program designed to prepare him for life outside prison. The initial release date was August 2023, but it was later pushed back by 12 months.

The commission said Tuesday in a news release that Demery’s “agreement has been terminated” effective immediately, giving no reason. The release said that Demery, who is serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder of James Jordan in 1993, would be reviewed again for parole on or about Dec. 15, 2023.

Greg Thomas, a state Department of Public Safety spokesperson, didn’t have additional information on Demery’s situation. Generally speaking, Thomas said, a Mutual Agreement Parole Program agreement may be terminated if the prisoner isn’t following program guidelines or is violating behavior rules behind bars.

Demery, now 46, is serving his sentence at a minimum security prison in Lincoln County, northwest of Charlotte, according to data the department posts online. Demery’s record shows 19 infractions lodged against him since 2001, including two for “substance possession” earlier this month.

The state presented evidence at trial that James Jordan was killed in July 1993 in his red Lexus as he napped along the side of an access road off U.S. Highway 74 in Lumberton near Interstate 95. Prosecutors had said the motive was robbery.

During the trial, prosecutors used testimony from Demery to identify Daniel A. Green as the triggerman. Jordan’s body was found 11 days later in a South Carolina swamp and identified using dental records. Demery and Green were both 18 at the time.

A jury decided on a life sentence plus 40 years for Demery after he pleaded guilty in 1995 to first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was resentenced in 2008 after an error was found in his initial sentencing. Demery then received a life sentence, making him eligible for parole.

A judge sentenced Green to life in prison for murder during the commission of a robbery and 10 years for conspiracy to commit robbery. A judge refused in 2019 to allow an evidentiary hearing that could have led to a new trial for Green.

Wisconsin
Prosecutors have charged 60-plus people in Kenosha protests
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors have now charged more than 60 people in connection with offenses committed during protests against police brutality and racism in Kenosha last year.

The Kenosha News reported Tuesday that Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley’s office has filed more than 90 separate charges, including 70 felonies and 18 misdemeanors. Six cases involved juveniles. The felony counts include burglary, making threats against police or National Guard troops and destroying an ATM.

Protests engulfed Kenosha for several nights in August 2020 after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake during a domestic disturbance. Blake, who is Black, survived but the shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Kyle Rittenhouse of Illinois shot three protesters on the second night of the demonstrations, killing two of them. He argued he fired in self-defense after the first protester tried to grab his rifle, the second hit him with a skateboard and the third pointed a gun at him. A jury acquitted him of multiple charges in November.