Justice Riggs, Seat 6, and Holdover Status
In September 2023, then-Governor Roy Cooper appointed Allison Riggs to fill a vacancy on the North Carolina Supreme Court created by the retirement of Associate Justice Michael Morgan. As an […]
2025 Expunction Guide Available for Free!
With a teaser like that, who could resist reading more? The 2025 edition of my online guide to expunctions is now available on the School of Government’s website at https://www.sog.unc.edu/resources/microsites/relief-criminal-conviction/. […]
Unilateral Conspiracy and Money Laundering
North Carolina is a bilateral conspiracy jurisdiction. Defining conspiracy as a combination of two or more persons to do an unlawful thing means that if the only other participant is […]
Criminal Series of the Clerks’ Manual Now Available
I am pleased to announce that the updated chapters in the Criminal Series of the Clerks’ Manual are now available.
News Roundup
In the waning weeks of his four-year term, President Biden announced commutations of 37 of 40 federal death sentences. With the exception of three individuals convicted of crimes involving “terrorism” […]
Calendaring Offenses Involving Seized Motor Vehicles
Law enforcement has authority to seize a person’s motor vehicle in several circumstances. Motor vehicles may be seized as evidence of a crime or for containing evidence of a crime, […]
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (Dec. 31, 2024)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on December 31, 2024. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a […]
2025 Video Sweepstakes Update
On New Year’s Eve, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued an opinion in No Limit Games, LLC v. Sheriff of Robeson County, __ N.C. App. __, __ S.E.2d __, […]
Is Santa a Criminal?
Around this time of year, many Americans begin to think about Santa. Will he visit? What will he bring? Will Rudolph be guiding his sleigh? As children normally picture him, […]
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (Dec. 17, 2024)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on December 17, 2024. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a […]