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This post summarizes criminal law and related cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during September of 2026. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. […]
About a month ago, I posted about Flock cameras. I noted that litigants in both civil and criminal cases had begun to argue that the use of such cameras – […]
This week in Minnesota, federal agents searched the home of Representative Ilhan Omar. It appears that the basis for the search warrant related to immigration issues, as the search was […]
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this term in Kian v. Florida on whether the Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to a twelve-member jury. In […]
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on October 7, 2026. Appeal as to purported errors in the jury instructions on self-defense […]
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 […]