Recent blog posts - 395 of 398

The United States Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in the Osborne case, an Alaska case that asks whether a criminal defendant who claims that he has been wrongfully convicted […]

I posted yesterday about one of the recent Court of Appeals decisions.  At the risk of going back to the well, I want to highlight another of those cases today. […]

Further Update: The court has reissued an opinion in this case. On the issue discussed below, it is very similar — at a minimum — to the original opinion. Update: […]

The Pew Center on the States just released a new report entitled One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections.  It’s available here, and a couple of news stories […]

Because of a case currently pending in Gaston County — story here — several people have asked me about the law as it concerns scaring a person to death.  Let […]

The Supreme Court (Washington, not Raleigh) has had a bit of a slow February so far, whether because of Justice Ginsburg’s well-publicized health problems or for some other reason.  Still, […]

According to a news article available here, several states are considering eliminating the death penalty as a way to save money.  The issue has sparked some interest in the blogosphere, […]

North Carolina has a number of different assault crimes, like simple assault, assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, and so on.  We also have a confusing body […]

North Carolina law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.  See G.S. 14-415.1.  I’ve had several recurrent questions about this offense, so here’s an FAQ about FIP (felon in possession): 1. […]

It has become clear to me in my work with judges and lawyers around the state that use of prayer for judgment continued—a practice virtually unique to North Carolina, at […]