ABC News is reporting that Attorney General Roy Cooper has decided to drop all charges against the Duke lacrosse players charged with sexually assaulting a stripper at a house party 13 months ago.

The exact time of the announcement is unknown, as is the exact context. Dropping the charges while saying they would not lead to a successful prosecution would be one thing. Dropping the charges while saying there was never a case another. Dropping the charges while saying the case was wholly made up by Durham DA Mike Nifong and that charges will be brought against Nifong and his co-conspirators another still.

Justice demands the third option, of course, but is Cooper up to the task? This not going after rogue health clubs, “robo calls,” or Sudafed junkies. This is real criminal justice of the kind undertaken by U.S. Attorneys of late in North Carolina.

The primary goal among the power elite in Raleigh is to just make the case go away, pretend it never happened — much like the Speaker Jim Black scandal dug out by federal grand juries. To that end, I’d be shocked to see Cooper actually follow through with a prosecution of Nifong. If pressed, there will be some reference to the ongoing State Bar ethics process Nifong faces, but other than that, look for “mistakes” and “errors” to be the harshest words to come out of the AG’s office with regard to one of the darkest chapters of North Carolina goverance in recent memory.

To refresh, here are two pieces I did for Reason on the case, from June and December.

Update: There is a press conference set for 2:30 pm from AG Cooper. Should be good.

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