Pretrial Release and Rebuttable Presumptions
The last few years have brought about several changes to the laws surrounding pretrial release. Before many of these changes, there was a general rule that a defendant charged with […]
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (Dec. 17, 2025)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on December 17, 2025. Evidence was sufficient to establish essential elements of felony possession of […]
News Roundup
Additional information came to light last week in the case against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, during a key pretrial hearing on a […]
Law Enforcement Agency Policies Prohibiting Officers from Associating with Criminals
Many law enforcement agencies have policies prohibiting officers from associating with criminals, or with felons. From time to time, an officer is disciplined or terminated for violating such a policy. […]
Case Summaries: Supreme Court of North Carolina (December 12, 2025)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the Supreme Court of North Carolina released on December 12, 2025.
Case Summaries: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (Nov. 2025)
This post summarizes published criminal law cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during November 2025. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. Previous summaries […]
News Roundup
Last month, a federal judge dismissed mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James based on what the court determined was the improper appointment of Acting United States […]
2025 Changes to North Carolina Gun Laws
December is an exciting time of year. Some people are focused on the upcoming holidays, others on the chance of snow flurries. Here at the School of Government, we’re paying […]
Mental Health Defenses—Diminished Capacity and Voluntary Intoxication: What Can the Expert Say?
In mounting a diminished capacity or voluntary intoxication defense in a first-degree murder case, the defense attempts to “negate” the element of specific intent, premeditation, or deliberation. To negate in […]
An Update on North Carolina’s Good Samaritan Harm Reduction Law
In an earlier blog post, I summarized North Carolina’s harm reduction immunity laws, including our safe syringe exchange law, G.S. 90-113.27, our Good Samaritan law, G.S. 90-96.2, and others. North […]