News Roundup
Well, this is embarrassing. “Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jim Woodall has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to . . . probe . . . UNC-Chapel Hill’s African and Afro-American Studies […]
Petitions for Removal from the Sex Offender Registry: The Wetterling Finding — Part II
In my previous post I wrote about In re Hamilton, a recent appellate case involving petitions to terminate sex offender registration. In Hamilton, the court of appeals held that a […]
Petitions for Removal from the Sex Offender Registry: The Wetterling Finding — Part I
A recent case from the court of appeals sheds some light on a frequently asked question about petitions for removal from the sex offender registry. The case, In re Hamilton, […]
New Volume of Defender Manual Now Available
A new edition of Volume Two of the North Carolina Defender Manual has just been released. Volume Two addresses trial issues, from jury selection through verdict and beyond. It also […]
Jury Argument — Part II
In a prior post on this topic, I addressed permissible jury argument. In this post and one that follows [editor’s note: coming next week], I address impermissible argument. The courts […]
News Roundup
The lead story from last week’s news roundup is back again: Chapel Hill’s ban on using cell phones while driving. It appears from this News and Observer story that Superior […]
Consecutive Sentences for Misdemeanors Sentenced at Different Times
In prior posts (here and here) I have discussed Structured Sentencing’s limit on consecutive sentences for misdemeanors. The basic rule, set out in G.S. 15A-1340.22, is that the cumulative length […]
Another Look at the DWI Super-Aggravator in G.S. 20-179(c)(4)
Last summer I wrote this post about amendments to the fourth grossly aggravating factor applicable to sentencing for impaired driving, namely the factor in G.S. 20-179(c)(4) that elevates punishment for […]
Must Officers’ Prior Misconduct Be Disclosed in Discovery?
I’ve had a whole bunch of phone calls lately raising the same basic issue: suppose that a prosecutor is aware that an officer has been dishonest or has engaged in […]
Jury Argument — Part I
Issues regarding the permissible scope of jury argument are becoming commonplace in N.C. criminal cases. In a series of posts, I’ll address some recurring issues that arise regarding the content […]