News Roundup
This week Governor Cooper signed an executive order to improve reentry services throughout the state. The order aims to enhance coordination between agencies and increase access to post-release employment opportunities […]
May An Officer Ask a Business to Execute a Search Warrant on Itself?
Once upon a time, search warrants were simple. An officer would obtain a warrant to search a suspect’s home or some other physical location connected to a crime. The officer […]
New Resource on Employment Outcomes for People Leaving Prison
The North Carolina Department of Commerce has created a new online tool called The NC Reentry Outcome Reporting System. The tool shows employment outcomes for people leaving the state prison […]
News Roundup
Yesterday, Alabama became the first state in the nation to execute a prisoner using nitrogen hypoxia. The AP reports here that “Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was pronounced dead at 8:25 […]
State v. Forney: Chewing Gum, Breath Tests, and Prejudice
In impaired driving cases, the results of a breath test of the defendant are admissible at trial when the testing is performed in accordance with statutory requirements and applicable administrative […]
When Can the State Use Testimony from the Probable Cause Hearing at Trial?
My colleague, Phil Dixon, blogged about the Court of Appeals’ decision in State v. Joyner, 284 N.C. App. 681 (2022), here. In Joyner, the court ruled that the State did […]
When Juvenile Justice Matters Cross State Lines: The Interstate Compact for Juveniles (ICJ)
Imagine a case involving a juvenile who lives in North Carolina and is in secure custody because of a charge of an act of delinquency in New York comes across […]
News Roundup
A recent study published by The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania examines the use of presumptive field tests used by law enforcement […]
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (Jan. 16, 2024)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on January 16, 2024. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a […]
Case Summaries: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (December 2023)
This post summarizes a published criminal law case released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during December 2023. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. Previous […]