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Special probation, commonly known as a split sentence, allows for a mix of imprisonment and probation. Under G.S. 15A-1351(a), the general rule in Structured Sentencing cases is that the total […]
Each year the School of Government publishes new and revised pattern jury instructions for civil, criminal, and motor vehicle negligence cases. Those instructions are created and compiled by the North […]
The opinions of a lay witness are generally limited to those that are (1) rationally based on the witness’s perception and (2) helpful to the jury. N.C. R. Evid. 701. […]
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on November 4, 2026. Evidence of intoxication or a verbal argument, standing alone, did not […]
The big news of the week was the election, with most media coverage focused on the change to the balance of power in Congress. This is not a political blog, […]
There are over 200 available beds at the DART Center. No wait. Today’s post talks about that and other things we learned on a recent visit to Goldsboro. Last week, […]
In September, the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission published the Driving While Impaired Convictions Statistical Report for Fiscal Year 2025 (hereinafter “the report”). The report provided detailed information […]
In a previous post, I wrote about the different types of sureties on a bail bond. As a quick recap, a surety is one who, along with the defendant, is […]
James Comey is back in the news. The United States Department of Justice has filed a criminal information against the former Director of the FBI accusing him of revealing sensitive […]
It is election season, so anything related to voting is big news. WRAL reports here that “[f]ederal prosecutors are accusing 18 people of being immigrants who illegally voted in North […]