Fix It and Forget It—Without Making a Trip to the Courthouse
A few years ago, my babysitter texted me that she was going to be late because she had been pulled over by a police officer on the way to our […]
Satellite-Based Monitoring after Grady
In Grady v. North Carolina, 575 U.S. __, 135 S. Ct. 1368 (2015), the Supreme Court concluded that North Carolina’s satellite-based monitoring (SBM) program for sex offenders is a search. The […]
The Results Are In: Trial Judges’ Views of IDS
In 2015, the Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) asked the School of Government to conduct an online survey of how superior and district court judges view IDS’s administration of […]
Is It a Crime for a Transgendered Person to Use the “Wrong” Bathroom?
The General Assembly recently passed, and the Governor recently signed, HB 2 (S.L. 2016-3), popularly known as “the bathroom bill.” This post considers whether it is now a crime for […]
News Roundup
Local and national reaction to the General Assembly’s approval in a one-day special session last week of House Bill 2, the “Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act,” is dominating the […]
The Split Is Part of the Probation
Probation that includes incarceration is “special probation.” But it’s still probation.
Storycorps: DWI Edition
On Fridays, National Public Radio features recordings from its Storycorps booth. These recordings sometimes feature a teacher and student, a parent and child, spouses, or a single person discussing a […]
Weighing Aggravating and Mitigating Factors
Much has been written—and much of it by the Supreme Court—on the proper way to find aggravating factors for sentencing. After Apprendi v. New Jersey, Blakely v. Washington, and countless cases at […]
Book Review: Just Mercy
A few years ago, I attend the Judicial Conference of the Fourth Circuit, where I heard Bryan Stevenson speak. The address was captivating. Stevenson spoke of representing the wrongly accused […]
News Roundup
The SOG is closed for a holiday tomorrow, so the News Roundup is coming to you a day early. This week’s top news story is the bombing of the airport […]