Not much apparently, and thankfully that has some Durham County officials asking for answers. It turns out that last year the county funded three new Assistant District Attorneys and five new superior court clerks, all in an effort to cut the backlog of court cases. It appears that hasn’t happened — yet another legacy of Mike Nifong. Here’s an excerpt from the Raleigh News & Observer story:
Mike Nifong, the former district attorney who was stripped of his law license for his handling of the Duke lacrosse case, made a pitch to the county commissioners in the spring that led many to think the pending caseload was shrinking.
But since Hardin took over the office in July after Nifong was disbarred, there have been questions about the numbers.
“We’ve asked our manager to try to get to the bottom of this,” said Ellen Reckhow, chairwoman of the county commissioners. “Part of the deal, when we approved the assistant district attorneys and clerks, was expedited processing.”
Hardin said recently that he would review the caseload numbers and report his findings.
