CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - A veteran defense attorney who has worked both sides of Mecklenburg County’s criminal justice system says Iryna’s Law does not address the core problems causing lengthy delays in criminal cases.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein this month signed Iryna’s Law , which was named after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on the Charlotte light rail in August .

Brad Smith, a longtime Charlotte defense attorney who previously worked as a prosecutor in Mecklenburg County, said the North Carolina legislation fails to tackle the fundamental issue of courtroom capacity and scheduling inefficiencies.

“I don’t think it addresses the problem really at all,” Smith said. “I always make the comparison that the criminal justice system is like a bathtub: You c

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