James E. Ferguson, II Discusses Racism and the Death Penalty in an Article Published by NC Policy Watch →

On Tuesday, June 17, NC Policy Watch published an article authored by James E. Ferguson, II.
LINK: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2020/06/17/veteran-nc-civil-rights-lawyer-the-meaning-impact-and-promise-of-the-racial-justice-act/

LEARY BAR HOSTS "A DAY TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY"

On Friday, June 5, the John S. Leary Bar hosted a peaceful rally in front of the Mecklenburg County Government Center. One hundred fifty plus attorneys came out to stand in solidarity and demand justice for the lives lost to police brutality. Attorney James Ferguson, II delivered encouraging words.

Firm Hosted Reception with Members of the South African Judiciary

On February 23, 2015, our firm invited judges and colleagues to our office for a reception honoring two members of the South African Judiciary.  Guests arrived to meet and greet The Honorable Thekiso Musi, Retired Judge and Past President of the Free State High Court of South Africa and The Honorable Willie Seriti, Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeals of South Africa, along with Advocate Fanyana Mdumbe, Head of the Legal Division of the South African Arms Procurement Commission.  

Pictured: The Honorable Elizabeth T. Trosch, The Honorable Shirley L. Fulton, The Honorable Linwood O. Foust, The Honorable Sean P. Smith, The Honorable Thekiso Musi, The Honorable Willie Seriti, The Honorable David H. Strickland, Advocate Fanyana Mdumbe, James E. Ferguson, II, The Honorable Kimberly Y. Best-Staton, The Honorable Yolanda M. Troutman, Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court Elisa Chinn-Gary, The Honorable Karen Edy-Williams and Geraldine Sumter.

ASSAULT CHARGE AGAINST RETIRED TEACHER FINALLY DISMISSED

A retired Rowan-Salisbury School System teacher has been cleared of a charge that she struck a student in 2007. 

The assault charge against Anne Musselman has been dismissed. All records of that charge and subsequent court actions have been expunged from law enforcement and court files, meaning those records no longer exist.

Musselman worked at Shive Elementary School in December 2007 when she was accused of hitting a 9-year-old student in the back of the head with her open hand because the student was talking during class. According to Rowan County Sheriff's Office reports at the time, the student later told a teacher assistant about the alleged incident. 

Musselman was charged with misdemeanor assault on a child younger than 12. But her attorney, Jacob Sussman, of Charlotte, said the case never went to trial.

"The charges were dismissed," by the Rowan County District Attorney's Office, he said. "She did return to teaching, but has since retired." 

A court order filed in March directs that all records of the case erased and that Musselman be returned, in the eyes of the law, to the status she held before the arrest in 2007. The records have been removed from the Rowan County court system.

RETROSPECTIVE ON THE TRIAL OF BRIAN NICHOLS

The Brian Nichols trial continues to reverberate in Georgia and across the country. The Daily Report Online produced a video in July 2009 that looked back on the trial.

CMS ANNOUNCES 107 MORE LAYOFFS

John Gresham is quoted in article concerning announced cuts of additional Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees.  

Excerpt:

Charlotte attorney John Gresham said he's been contacted by "five or six" affected educators, and is waiting to see what the latest letter says. But so far, he said, "the message that's been coming out has left a number of employees very concerned."

TOWERING PRESENCE IN FIGHT AGAINST INJUSTICE

The firm's storied history was featured in an lengthy article in anticipation of the firm's receipt of the Echo Foundation's Award Against Indifference.

Excerpt:

The firm's groundbreaking legal work helped transform the national perspective on employment and civil rights, creating an environment where people of any race could achieve and prosper.

LEARY BAR 2009

On January 7, 2009, the John S. Leary Bar Association for African-American Attorneys elected its new executive board, including Lareena J. Phillips as Co-Chair and Tanisha Johnson as Co-Vice Chair.

SOLDIER FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Cover story featuring Geraldine Sumter, who was again recognized as a Super Lawyer in North Carolina.

Excerpt: 

Today, as managing partner of Ferguson Stein Chambers Gresham & Sumter in Charlotte, Sumter is one of the top civil rights attorneys in the nation.

With a focus on employment law, Sumter handles cases involving big and small businesses, nonprofits, workers' compensation, voting rights and school desegregation.  "She is a pillar of our firm," says co-founder James E. Ferguson II. "She is one of the persons who keep us true to our mission."

NICHOLS GETS LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE

On December 13, 2008, Judge James Bodiford imposed consecutive life sentences against Brian Nichols, following a jury's inability to reach unanimity on his sentence.  Henderson Hill and Jake Sussman defended Nichols on a 54-count indictment that included four murders.