News Roundup
As the Asheville Citizen-Times reports, Wanda Greene pleaded guilty this week to several federal criminal offenses arising from her corrupt activity while serving as Buncombe County Manager. With the plea, […]
New Book on Probation Violations in North Carolina
I’m happy to announce the availability of a new School of Government publication, Probation Violations in North Carolina.
May a Presentment and Indictment be Issued the Same Day?
A few short years ago, a criminal law practitioner could be forgiven for not knowing what a presentment was—much less how it might properly be utilized. Presentments rarely preceded indictments […]
Higher Level Felony Defense at the SOG
Last week I had the pleasure of hosting around 40 attorneys for the second part of a new course, Higher Level Felony Defense. The first part, held in early 2018, […]
North Carolina Sticks with the Rule that Omitting an Element in an Indictment Deprives the Court of Jurisdiction – at Least for Now
Shortly before Christmas, the state supreme court decided a littering case captioned State v. Rankin, __ N.C. __, __ S.E.2d __, 2018 WL 6714931 (Dec. 21, 2018). The majority ruled […]
News Roundup
On Monday, North Carolina leaders attended a ceremonial session of the North Carolina Supreme Court convened to honor the court’s 200th anniversary. The celebratory session featured a documentary video and […]
2018 North Carolina Sentencing Handbook Available
Shea and I are pleased to announce the availability of the 2018 edition of the North Carolina Sentencing Handbook with Felony, Misdemeanor, and DWI Sentencing Grids.
The Duties and Discretionary Power of District Attorneys
Jonathan wrote last month about reform-minded sheriffs in North Carolina and the actions they can and cannot take with respect to enforcement of federal immigration laws. Reform-minded prosecutors also have […]
An Appreciation of the Many Roles and Responsibilities of a District Court Judge
In December, the School of Government held the first week of orientation for new district court judges. The class included thirty-one new judges. Most of the judges took the bench […]
Lawful Gun Possession and Encounters with Police
During a Terry stop, an officer who has reasonable suspicion that a suspect is armed and dangerous may frisk the suspect and may confiscate any weapons that the officer finds. […]