Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (May 7, 2024)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on May 7, 2024. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a […]
Lethality Assessment Protocol
Intimate partner violence is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship, usually between current or former spouses or current or former dating partners. According to the NC Coalition […]
Grant’s Pass, Homelessness, and the Constitutionality of Anti-Sleeping and Anti-Camping Ordinances
Homelessness is a challenging problem. Some cities have attempted to address it, in part, by prohibiting sleeping or camping in public places. The Supreme Court of the United States is […]
News Roundup
The week began with tragedy. Four law enforcement officers were killed Monday afternoon in Charlotte when they attempted to serve arrest warrants on 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes, Jr., who shot […]
Announcing Upcoming Webinar on Self-Defense
The UNC School of Government will be hosting a FREE one-hour webinar on self-defense law on May 15, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. Registration is available here. See below for a […]
Just Say No to Commenting on the Defendant’s Failure to Testify
While a prosecutor in a criminal trial may comment on a defendant’s failure to produce witnesses or evidence to contradict or refute the State’s case, a prosecutor may not make […]
News Roundup
A lawsuit has been filed against the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary, asserting that the state’s lack of assessment and treatment services has resulted […]
Updated Content Now Available in the Digital Version of Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina
Most readers of this blog are familiar with Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina. For those who are not, it is a treatise on search and seizure law. It […]
Consequences of a Criminal Conviction and Avenues for Relief
In this brief blog I want to announce updated editions of two much lengthier resources. One is my Guide to Relief from a Criminal Conviction, now updated to include legislation […]
What is the Maximum Commitment Period That Must be Noticed at Disposition in a Delinquency Case?
When the court issues an order of disposition committing a juvenile to a youth development center (YDC), that commitment is almost always required to be for an indefinite period of […]