The Court’s Obligation to Determine Disposition in a Delinquency Matter
Is the court bound to order a certain disposition in a delinquency matter when the juvenile and the prosecutor agree to that disposition as part of an agreement? The short […]
Confidential Informants, Motions to Reveal Identity, and Discovery: Part III, How to Handle the Video
This is Part III of a multi-part series on confidential informants. Earlier posts focused on the foundational concepts of U.S. v. Roviaro, 353 U.S. 53 (1957), here, and the applicable […]
News Roundup
The biggest story in criminal law this week was undoubtedly the arrest of Justin Timberlake, former member of The Mickey Mouse Club and NSYNC, on charges of driving while intoxicated. […]
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (June 18, 2024)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on June 18, 2024. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a […]
Case Summaries: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (May 2024)
This post summarizes published criminal law and related cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during May 2024. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. […]
Posting a Cash Bond: Who Gets the Money After a Defendant’s Case is Complete?
When a person is arrested, a law enforcement officer must take that person before a judicial official without unnecessary delay. G.S. 15A-501(2). Subject to certain statutory exceptions, defendants charged with […]
News Roundup
As AP News reports, Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, was convicted of three felony offenses in a federal court in Delaware this week. The convictions include making a […]
NC Supreme Court Holds that Media Entities May Seek Access to Law Enforcement Recordings by Filing a Petition
In March 2021, several news organizations filed a petition in Alamance County Superior Court seeking the release of law enforcement recordings of an “I Am Change” march that took place […]
A Pink Shirt on Wednesday: State v. Singleton and the End of the Common Law Jurisdictional Indictment Rule
In its last batch of opinions, issued May 23, 2024, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided two indictment cases: State v. Singleton, No. 318PA22, __ N.C. __ (2024), and State […]
News Roundup
Three years ago, the North Carolina Supreme Court in State v. Corbett, 2021-NCSC-18, ___ N.C. ___, 855 S.E.2d 228, 252 (2021), affirmed the court of appeals’ reversal of the defendants’ […]