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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 […]
Editor’s note: This post first appeared on the School of Government’s blog directed at civil law and procedure. It is cross-posted here because the content is also pertient for prosecutors, […]
This post summarizes criminal law and related cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during April of 2026. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. […]
A colleague recently came into my office carrying Volume 3 of the General Statutes of North Carolina Annotated by Lexis Nexis (what we attorneys call “the green book”) with a […]
We last addressed the 2023 trial of Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer convicted of murdering his wife and son, in February of 2024 (although Shea subsequently reviewed a nonfiction […]
Some guilty pleas are “open,” where the defendant pleads guilty to agreed-upon charges without any promises from the State about the ultimate sentence. Other pleas include an arrangement as to […]
Child pornography (also known as child sexual abuse material, “CSAM”) is a category of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, so long […]
This post summarizes the published opinions in criminal cases issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals on May 6, 2026. The trial court properly revoked the defendant’s probation for […]