North Carolina Criminal Law Blog

North Carolina doesn’t have a land border with Mexico or Canada, so most people don’t think of us as a border state. But we are. We have a maritime border […]

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Law enforcement officers sometimes damage property in the course of their work. For instance, they may break down a door while executing an arrest warrant, or may pull up floorboards […]

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Author’s Note: The Court of Appeals withdrew the decision on which this post is based on August 30, 2024. The Court of Appeals recently settled an issue that has been […]

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Earlier this year, the Fourth Circuit decided United States v. Zelaya-Veliz, 94 F.4th 321 (4th Cir. 2024). Phil summarized it here when it came out, but we thought it merited […]

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Most readers of this blog are familiar with Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina. For those who are not, it is a treatise on search and seizure law. It […]

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A common point of confusion among law enforcement and the public is about the use of unlabeled pill bottles. Is it legal to possess prescription medicine in a container other […]

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It has been a while since my last post on cannabis and criminal law issues, and it is past time for an update. In addition to a number of state […]

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This post is co-authored with SOG faculty member Kristina Wilson and is cross-posted to the Coates’ Canons blog. When and how can state and local government officials and employees record […]

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Once upon a time, search warrants were simple. An officer would obtain a warrant to search a suspect’s home or some other physical location connected to a crime. The officer […]

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Joanna Julius was riding as a passenger in her parents’ car in McDowell County when the person driving the car crashed it into a ditch filled with water. The driver […]

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