Moore bill targets judges who release dangerous offenders
US Rep. Tim Moore, R-NC14, introduced the “Judicial Accountability for Public Safety Act” on Sept. 30, which would hold judges civilly liable for releasing violent criminals. The legislation was introduced just seven days after the North Carolina General Assembly passed “Iryna’s Law” and sent it to the desk of Gov. Josh Stein, who signed it on Oct. 3.
“When judges let dangerous repeat offenders walk free despite knowing the risks, and someone gets hurt or killed, there has to be accountability,” said Moore in a press release. “We’ve seen too many cases, like the killings of Iryna Zarutska and Logan Federico, that were completely preventable if their murderers had been behind bars where they belonged. The judicial systems in Democrat-run cities that favor criminals over victims are failing innocent Americans. This legislation is the first step to making sure judges do their jobs and put public safety first.”
Iryna Zarutska’s killer had been arrested 14 times & released.
Logan Federico’s killer had been arrested 39 times &released.
These tragedies were preventable.
I just introduced a bill to remove immunity for judges who knowingly put violent criminals back on the streets. pic.twitter.com/newnAD01cj
— Congressman Tim Moore (@RepTimMooreNC) September 30, 2025
During a recent US House Judiciary Committee field hearing on Victims of Violent Crime, there was discussion of not only Zarutska but of 22-year-old Union County resident Logan Federico, who was murdered in Columbia, South Carolina, in May, allegedly by Alexander Dickey. Dickey had previously been arrested 39 times. Logan’s father, Stephen Federico, gave passionate and emotional remarks during the hearing.
The legislation lays the groundwork for lawsuits by victims and their families when a bond or sentencing decision is made with “gross negligence or intentional disregard for public safety,” according to the press release. It allows injured parties to seek justice through the court system in these limited but serious cases. The bill also preserves protections for judges who act within the scope of ordinary judicial discretion and in good faith.
— Congressman Tim Moore (@RepTimMooreNC) September 30, 2025
DeCarlos Brown Jr., the alleged murderer of Zarutska, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been previously arrested 14 times, including for felonies. He served five years in prison for robbery with a deadly weapon, got out in 2020, but then was arrested shortly after, charged with assaulting his sister. In January 2025, he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of misuse of 911. Magistrate Teresa Stokes released him after he signed a written note promising to appear at his next court hearing.
“Any person who establishes by clear and convincing evidence that such person was injured by any action taken, with intentional disregard for public safety or with gross negligence, by a judicial officer in a bond determination or sentencing hearing may obtain, in a civil action, such relief as the court may determine appropriate, which may include punitive damages,” reads the law.
“This bill is a small but significant departure from the norms of judicial immunity,” Jeanette Doran, constitutional studies counsel for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “Although this bill would remove judicial immunity in limited circumstances, it could open the door to broader removal of immunity. Lawmakers and citizens should be careful about starting to punish judges for their decisions, even bad ones. We want judges to rule based on the law, not out of concern for themselves or fear of getting sued by every disgruntled party. Of course, Moore’s bill doesn’t go that far, but we need to think about how removing some judicial immunity today could end up extended to removal of more, even all, immunity in the future.”
“Moore bill targets judges who release dangerous offenders” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
