Back in 2002, conservative NC Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. started fighting to create the Innocence Inquiry Commission, a panel of three judges to hear evidence in cases where appeals were exhausted and there was cause to think convictions were wrong. North Carolina’s is the only such state-financed body.

Today the Commission concluded its first hearing and freed a man imprisoned wrongfully for 17 years. I was privileged to receive a call from Justice Lake during deliberations this afternoon and to be the first person to visit him at his home after the hearing. I did a short interview and took a few pictures of him as he did a radio interview.

Photos of Lake at his home are here.