RALEIGH – The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today praised North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue for vetoing SB 9, a bill that would repeal the state’s landmark Racial Justice Act, and called on members of the General Assembly to sustain her veto in order to prevent executions based on race.

“We applaud Governor Perdue for vetoing a measure that ignores the role that race plays in death penalty cases in North Carolina,” said Sarah Preston, ACLU-NC Policy Director. “The Racial Justice Act is a crucial safeguard against well-documented racial discrimination in our state’s capital punishment system. We strongly urge members of the General Assembly to save this landmark law by sustaining the governor’s veto of SB 9.”