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Despite these claims, the court’s decision ignored Brown’s extensive criminal record. He has been arrested 14 times and holds convictions for felony larceny, theft, breaking and entering, and armed robbery.
Even Brown’s mother publicly criticized the system, expressing anger over her son’s release. She told Newsweek that she had expelled him from her home due to aggressive behavior, yet the courts allowed him back into the public.
The congressional letter to Chief Judge Wiggins calls for Stokes’ removal from office. The representatives argue she exhibited a “willful and persistent failure to perform the duties of the office or conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute.”
“Despite the history of violent and unstable behavior, Magistrate Stokes released Brown without requiring bond or imposing any meaningful conditions to safeguard the public,” the letter states. “This reckless decision had devastating consequences.”
Critics also point to Stokes’ background as a source of concern. Politico Magazine once described her alma mater, Cooley Law School, as the “worst law school in America.” The Federalist noted that a search did not reveal whether she passed the North Carolina bar, though she may have been admitted through the state’s Admission on Motion program, which allows attorneys to practice without taking the exam.
The requirements to serve as a magistrate judge in North Carolina are notably low. Candidates need not be licensed attorneys. They must have either eight years of experience as a superior court clerk or law enforcement officer or four years of relevant work experience coupled with a college degree or associate degree.
Stokes’ professional experience appears rooted in social services. According to The Org, she is “Co-Owner and Director at Pinnacle Recovery Services” and co-owns Wing Heaven Sports Haven, described as a “sober sports bar.” She has also served as a “Client Services Specialist” at the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties and coordinated behavioral health at Child and Family Charities.
In short, the judge who released a violent and unstable repeat offender possessed credentials that match the minimal standards set for magistrates, raising serious questions about public safety and accountability.
All ten Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are now demanding the removal of Stokes, emphasizing the tragic consequences of her decision to release Brown. The deadly outcome for Zarutska underscores a critical failure in the state’s judicial oversight.
