James A. Wynn Jr., Thomas Ruffin and the Perils of Public Homage: State v. Mann: Judicial Choice or Judicial Duty? (2009)

James A. Wynn Jr., Thomas Ruffin and the Perils of Public Homage: State v. Mann: Judicial Choice or Judicial Duty? (2009)

Judge James A. Wynn Jr. is a former Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and has offered insight into Thomas Ruffin's decision in State v. Mann. According to Wynn, North Carolina law had precedent that would allow Ruffin to reach a different outcome in State v. Mann. Wynn says that Ruffin should have focused on the acts of the perpetrator rather than the identity of the victim. By using clever wording in his decision, Ruffin was able to make it seem as if he had no other choice than to rule in the favor of John Mann. This according to Wynn, is the practice of judicial choice rather than performing his judicial duty. Wynn suggests that Ruffin perfered judicial choice because he was a slaveholder himself.

Wynn Jr., Judge James A.

Wynn Jr., Judge James A. “State v. Mann: Judicial Choice or Judicial Duty.” North Carolina Law Review 87, no. 3 (March 2009): 991-1005.

2009-03-XX

Cooper, Blake

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