Of the 163 people on death row in North Carolina, nine are Native American, The Wilmington Star News reports.

That means Native inmates account for 5.5 percent of the death row population. Native Americans make up just 1.1 percent of the state population.

Gov. Beverly Perdue (D) signed into law a bill that allows death penalty defendants to present evidence of racial bias in their punishment. "The Racial Justice Act ensures that when North Carolina hands down our state’s harshest punishment to our most heinous criminals – the decision is based on the facts and the law, not racial prejudice," Perdue said in a press release.

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Law signed to remedy bias in death sentences (The Wilmington Star News 8/12)