Padilla Comes to North Carolina
The title I gave this post is actually not quite accurate. Five years ago, in its 2010 decision in Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010), the U.S. Supreme Court […]
Mail Regulation in the Jail
Handling mail to and from inmates is a challenge for jail administrators. Of course they want to enable inmates to handle their legitimate business (including pending legal matters) and maintain family and […]
News Roundup
Most of the office chatter around the SOG this week concerned the new lawsuit challenging the recently-enacted retention election procedure for North Carolina Supreme Court Justices. The basic question is […]
Private Property Can Be a “Public Place” under the Indecent Exposure Statute
Several recent news reports have involved people removing their clothes in their own homes or on their own property, but in view of neighbors or passers-by. For example, Charlotte’s “naked […]
Need a ride? Call Uber. It’s officially regulated.
Uber was the talk of the table during our Thanksgiving meal. One of my cousins drives for Uber in her spare time. So does her boyfriend. They compete for who […]
Was Rosa Parks Convicted?
Sixty years ago today, Rosa Parks was arrested for failing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus to a white passenger. Thinking about her courage, the […]
New Sentencing Handbook Available
The 2015-2016 edition of the North Carolina Sentencing Handbook with Felony, Misdemeanor, and DWI Sentencing Grids is available from the School of Government. Like previous editions, it contains instructions on felony sentencing, misdemeanor sentencing, and […]
Are Daily Fantasy Sports Gambling?
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving means football, and football nowadays means an endless parade of advertisements for DraftKings, FanDuel, and other daily fantasy sports businesses. This post asks the obvious […]
The 300-Foot Rule Goes to Church
Last week the court of appeals decided another case involving the sex offender premises restriction in G.S. 14-208.18. The defendant was convicted of being within 300 feet of a church […]
Field Sobriety Testing and the Fifth Amendment
Most drivers stopped on suspicion of impaired driving are asked to submit to field sobriety tests before they are arrested. Those tests often include the three standardized tests, which researchers […]