Chief Justice Paul Newby touted his appointment of a former New Jersey prosecutor as the new executive director of the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission in a recent press release, noting that she had successfully tried several “high-profile” cases that included prosecuting a prominent religious figure for child sexual abuse. 

Laura Pierro, currently an immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey, will take over on April 1. She replaces Lindsey Guice Smith, who served as executive director for eight years. Smith left to pursue other opportunities, Newby said in the release. Associate Director Catherine Matoian will serve as interim director through April.  […]

Michael Hewlett is a courts and law reporter for The Assembly. He was previously a legal affairs reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal and has won two Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Awards.

Anne Blythe, a former reporter for The News & Observer, has reported on courts, criminal justice, and an array of topics in North Carolina for more than three decades.