Yesterday I wrote about Judge Marcia Morey, who recently penned an article about how, after 16 years as a judge, she was starting to see that we shouldn’t overcriminalize our youth.
A woman named Bonnie Wilson responded with her own story of how Morey had treated her when Wilson was arrested and falsely accused of a crime. Morey replied to Wilson that she “appreciate[s] how devastating it is on a person to be charged with a crime she did not commit,” although she added that she thought Wilson’s comments were directed at the wrong person.
Thanks to K.C. Johnson’s encyclopedic memory of the Duke Lacrosse case (which he helped debunk), we know that in 2007, Morey appeared as a character witness on behalf of Mike Nifong. Nifong, you’ll recall, is the district attorney who railroaded the Duke Lacrosse men in order to raise his political profile. He was later disbarred for his actions, and his former cases were scrutinized.
When asked whether Nifong “currently enjoys a reputation for truthfulness,” Morey responded: “I think he does.”
I would hope that Morey has learned from the experience. It took her another nine years to write the article about the overcriminalization of the youth. Perhaps we will also soon get an article about the hardships faced by those who are falsely accused, and the need for due process on college campuses (because of the system that has been created that will increase false accusations).
Ashe Schow is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
