Betsy Newmark: Racist stereotypes shaped Duke rape case

With the filing of ethics charges against Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong last week, the assault charges against Duke lacrosse players may finally be spiraling to an end.

Even without those charges creating a conflict of interest that made it likely that Nifong would have to recuse himself, there were other indications of how this sorry saga may end. Nifong told The New York Times that he would drop the case if the accuser couldn’t identify the three defendants and be 100 percent certain the defendants were the men she says assaulted her.