2017 Cost Waiver Reports Available
The Administrative Office of the Courts recently submitted two reports on criminal cost waivers to the General Assembly. The first report covers court cost waivers under G.S. 7A-304(a). The other […]
The Role of Race—and Brain Science—in Pedestrian Fatalities
A pedestrian enters a crosswalk. A car approaches. Does the race of the pedestrian influence whether the driver stops the car or continues to drive through the crosswalk?
Fourth Circuit Sets Out Authority to Frisk When a State’s Law Permits Possession of Concealed Firearm
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, on a rehearing of a case en banc, held in United States v. Robinson, 2017 WL 280727 (Jan. 23, 2017), that an officer had […]
Proving a Minor’s Sexual Purpose for Sexual Assault Crimes
A recent Court of Appeals opinion turned on a point of law that sometimes trips up folks in sexual assault cases: When a juvenile is alleged to have committed a […]
News Roundup
The Durham Herald-Sun reports that the long saga of the Michael Peterson murder case may conclude later this month with a plea bargain. As the Herald-Sun article recounts, Peterson was […]
2017 Sentencing Commission Statistical Report Available
It’s a chilly, blustery day in Chapel Hill, but I see signs of spring. The days are getting a little longer. College basketball season kicks into high gear tonight. And […]
State v. Parisi Answers DWI Procedural Riddle
Criminal procedure aficionados, close your red books and riddle me this: A district court judge in a DWI case preliminarily grants a defendant’s motion to suppress. The State appeals to […]
Court of Appeals Rejects Habitual Felon Sentence Based on Enhanced Sentence for Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana
Suppose a person is convicted of the misdemeanor of possessing more than 1/2 ounce but no more than 1 1/2 ounces of marijuana, a Class 1 misdemeanor under G.S. 90-95(d)(4). […]
News Roundup
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump nominated Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Widely viewed as having a similar ideological mold as the […]
Probation Supervision, Behind the Scenes
What’s a structured intervention worksheet? What’s a Carey Guide? And what do judges and lawyers need to know about those things to interface with Probation effectively?