By Jasmyn Jordan
Copyright breitbart
A Change.org petition demanding the removal of North Carolina Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes has drawn more than 11,000 signatures following the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. The effort, amplified by Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) in a new video, calls for consequences after Decarlos Brown Jr., a repeat offender with 14 prior convictions, was released without bail before allegedly murdering the 23-year-old woman on Charlotte’s light rail.
The petition, launched two weeks ago by X user @MyLordBebo in the wake of Zarutska’s August 22 murder, urges the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission to remove Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes from the bench and investigate her past rulings. “It was devastating to see a harmless woman minding her own business and being slaughtered for nothing,” the creator told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement. “After I found that a judge let Decarlos out on cashless bail it made me angry. We need to remove the judge to save the next Iryna and provide justice for the unfortunate soul Iryna Zarutska.”
The initiative asks: “Why was a mentally ill, repeat offender allowed to walk free in Charlotte? After his most recent arrest — before he killed Iryna — Decarlos was released without bail by Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes. According to North Carolina lawmakers, Judge Stokes released him ‘based solely on his written promise to appear for a future court date.’ Judge Stokes reviewed Decarlos’s lengthy criminal record, and possibly his history of mental illness, and still let him walk. We need answers and accountability.”
On Tuesday, Change.org released a video featuring Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) voicing support for the campaign. “A judge who lets violent criminals back on the streets has no business holding a gavel,” Harrigan stated. “Just weeks ago, we witnessed one of the worst failures of justice I’ve ever seen.” He cited Brown’s lengthy criminal record and mental health issues before urging action: “That’s why I joined every Republican from North Carolina in demanding her removal. I need you to add your voice, sign the petition, stand with us, and make it clear that North Carolinians will not tolerate judges who put criminals over innocent people.”
The petition is part of mounting pressure from Republican officials. On Monday, Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) announced that the state’s GOP delegation had formally called for Stokes’s removal, pointing to her decision to release Brown in January after an arrest for abusing the 911 system. Harris asserted Stokes’s interpretation of pretrial release statutes “calls into question her fitness for service” and asked whether she is still making rulings “even though she has lost the public’s confidence.” District Court Judge Roy H. Wiggins, in a September 10 letter, said his office was reviewing bond policy and would provide additional education for magistrates, noting the process would be handled with “the confidentiality required by law.”
The push for Stokes’s removal comes as North Carolina lawmakers move forward with “Iryna’s Law,” legislation aimed at ending cashless bail for certain crimes and limiting the discretion of judges and magistrates in pretrial release decisions. The law passed the state House on Tuesday in an 81–31 vote after previously clearing the Senate and will now be sent to Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC).
