Recent blog posts

National headlines this week have focused on the failed execution of Christa Pike. She was sentenced to death in Tennessee for fatally stabbing her classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995. Last […]

The latest version of the Structured Sentencing Statistical Report from the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission is now available here. As always, it is a goldmine of sentencing […]

In the criminal law context, magistrates primarily conduct initial appearances for individuals who have just been arrested, issue criminal process in the form of charging documents, and issue search warrants. […]

Deborah is charged with a high-level felony offense for which a judicial official imposes a $1,000,000 secured bond. Deborah—not having the cash on hand or a mortgage sufficient to cover […]

Magistrates regularly determine whether probable cause exists to issue search warrants, see G.S. 15A-245(b), arrest warrants, see G.S. 15A-304(d), and criminal summonses, see G.S. 15A-303(c). They also decide whether probable […]

Police in Santa Ana, California, issued a public advisory on Monday after receiving a report of a large snake in a tree in a residential neighborhood. The snake was believed […]

I am pleased to announce the publication of a new Administration of Justice Bulletin explaining the standards for and procedures governing the discipline, suspension, and removal of various North Carolina […]

This year, the School has been tasked with several projects under the research mandate in Session Law 2025-93 (H.B. 307, “Iryna’s Law”). This post summarizes the preliminary findings for one […]

WUNC reports that Tailei Qi was found not guilty by reason of insanity this week for the 2023 on-campus shooting death of Zijie Yan, an associate professor at UNC Chapel […]

In July, the legislature enacted House Bill 1173, S.L. 2026-37, or “Jaleeyah’s Law.” As Shea previously noted in a news roundup, the impetus for the legislation was the fatal shooting […]