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Where the trial court did not afford defense counsel an opportunity to rebut the prosecutor’s proffered race-neutral reasons for striking black jurors, thereby failing to conduct the third step of […]
This post is a follow-up from last month’s post Initial Appearances, Implied Consent Offenses, and Offenses Involving Impaired Driving Part 1. In Part 1, we discussed the differences and overlaps […]
Probation records are privileged. That protection stems from an old statute, G.S. 15-207, which was enacted in 1937—the same year the original North Carolina Probation Commission was established. See N.C. […]
Last week I participated in a CLE event sponsored by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Court. It was a great event and an opportunity for me to learn […]
Last Friday, violence erupted outside the Wake County Courthouse when Gwendolyn White reportedly shot at two lawyers, Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley. The attack happened after a tense hearing at […]
If asked if North Carolina has a speedy trial law, until relatively recently, I would have said no. A defendant does have constitutional rights to a speedy trial under the […]
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the Supreme Court of North Carolina released on May 22, 2026. There was no Harbison error where (1) the defendant agreed to […]
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on May 20, 2026. Trial counsel was not ineffective on multiple grounds asserted by defense; […]
One of the unique aspects of juvenile delinquency procedure is the intake and evaluation process. This mandatory process precedes commencement of a delinquency court action and determines if an initial […]
The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba, for his role in ordering the 1996 downing of two planes. The planes were flown by […]