SBM Update: First-Degree Statutory Rape Is an Aggravated Offense
The court of appeals recently decided a few cases involving satellite-based monitoring (SBM) of sex offenders, so it seemed a good time to write a blog post about it and […]
Warrantless Searches of Computers and Other Electronic Devices
I keep a list of cases from across the country on warrantless searches of computers and other electronic devices. It covers topics like searches of cellular phones incident to arrest, […]
Seizure of Vehicles in DWI Cases
Three bills introduced in the General Assembly this session provide for seizure and forfeiture of motor vehicles involved in certain motor vehicle offenses. House Bill 451 provides for seizure of […]
News Roundup
1. The General Assembly has been working on the budget lately. The House is proposing significant budget cuts to the court system, including reductions in the number of victim/witness legal […]
SORNA Compliance Legislation
I’ve written before about how North Carolina’s law related to sex offender registration has changed over the years in response to federal mandates. In 2006 Congress passed the Adam Walsh […]
The Reliability of Drug-Sniffing Dogs
This recent post by Professor Orin Kerr reports on an emerging split of authority on what the state needs to show about the training and experience of a drug-sniffing dog […]
Driving After Notification or Failure to Appear
[Editor’s note: Sorry that there was no post yesterday. I was travelling and didn’t have reliable internet access. We’re back on track today.] The misdemeanor offenses of driving after notification […]
News Roundup
Tomorrow’s a UNC holiday, so I’m rounding up the week’s news a day early. 1. Professor Matthew Robinson of Appalachian State University released a new death penalty study this week, […]
The Name Game
One of my regular daily reads is the prosecution-oriented blog Crime and Consequences. This recent post reminded me of an issue I struggled with in practice, and which many readers […]
Hip Pocket Jail Time for Probationers
The rules for sentencing a defendant to special probation—a split sentence—are set out in G.S. 15A-1351(a). Under that law, the court can order as part of a probationary sentence that […]