Reaction to Mike Nifong's Resignation

Comments on the decision of Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong to resign:

"It is not fair for the people of my community to be represented by someone who is not held in high esteem by either the members of the community or the members of the profession. It does not contribute to the cause of justice in Durham for me to serve as the sitting district attorney if every time I walk into the courtroom people are going to be pointing the finger at me and saying, 'There's that guy with the Duke lacrosse case.'" - Mike Nifong.

"We were not prepared for this." - Candy Clark, Nifong's legal assistant.

"It was an obvious cynical ploy to save his law license, and his apology to these people is far too little and comes far too late." - Defense lawyer Joseph Cheshire.

"That was a wise decision, and I hope that will help those of us who work in Durham and live in Durham regain our confidence in the system and realize this is not the way the system works regularly in Durham." - Kerry Sutton, a Durham attorney who represented an unindicted lacrosse player.

"The whole time, I've just been surprised he thought he could get away with it from the beginning. I think it's a long time coming, but I think he at least has a similar enough moral code as the rest of the people to feel really bad about it. I think this is what should happen, and I feel really bad for him." - Duke graduate student Dharol Tankersley, of Austin, Texas.

"When Mr. Nifong accepted his appointment as Durham’s leading law enforcement officer, he committed to ensure the fairness and integrity of the legal system that we rely on to resolve conflicts in our society. His handling of the Duke lacrosse case was deeply unfair to the young men involved and damaged the criminal justice system itself. Mr. Nifong brought great harm to these Duke students and their families, to the Durham community, and to Duke University and all who care about it. Even though his decision to resign comes under threat of sanctions by the North Carolina State Bar, I welcome it. It sets the stage for a healing process to which we all are committed." - Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University.

"Today marks a new start for Durham. Mr. Nifong's resignation will allow the community to lift itself up out of this dark scandal. ... These events have left an indelible mark on our community and require a concerted effort to pull together our citizens and move forward. " - Freda Black, a Durham attorney who lost to Nifong in last year's district attorney's election.

"That doesn't change anything of the seriousness of what he has done to these three young men. And it does not change anything as to my pursuing a civil rights investigation." - Rep. Walter Jones, R-NC, who has asked the Department of Justice to investigate Nifong's conduct.

"The trial, or whatever, is still going on. We're just going to wait for the outcome of that. The only thing I heard, was I heard it on the radio, and somebody called me and said that he was resigning whenever." - Bill Bell, mayor of Durham