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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 […]
Just over a week ago, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina. This press release from the United States Department of Justice explains […]
More than thirty years before the United States Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), determined that the Sixth Amendment guarantee of appointed counsel for indigent defendants […]
During any initial appearance, magistrates must consider a host of issues. Starting with determining whether to begin the initial appearance, finding probable cause, determining whether they may set pretrial release […]
In my last post, I noted that I am doing more work in the area of extradition. The news generated a lot of great questions, many of which I hope […]
A Greensboro, NC, police academy cadet has been charged with impersonating a police officer, per this story from local media. Maceo John Cannon, 20, allegedly confronted a woman about her […]
In late March The Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) instituted a new process for the appointment and payment of counsel for cases in which a juvenile between the ages […]
A Fort Bragg solider stands accused of using confidential national security information to place lucrative bets on the ousting of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. According to this article, the […]