48-Hour Rule Refresher
Pretrial release is generally set by magistrates at a defendant’s initial appearance. As a special approach to setting conditions of pretrial release, the “48-hour rule,” as it is known in […]
Guilty Knowledge and the Possession of Controlled Substances
When a defendant is charged with a crime involving the possession of a controlled substance, what kind of knowledge or intent must the prosecution show? Must the state prove that […]
News Roundup
Sadly, this week’s news was dominated by yet another mass school shooting. Three nine-year-old students and three staff members at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, were killed Monday morning by […]
Is There a Deadline for Ordering a Disposition in a Delinquency Case?
The short answer is no. There is no specific legal requirement to enter a disposition in a delinquency matter in a certain period of time. At the same time, the […]
GiveUNC: Show Your Support for the School of Government
Today is GiveUNC – a single day of giving during which the UNC School of Government reaches out to current and past donors, course participants, and – you – loyal […]
Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of Criminal Law
You’ve probably heard of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot built by the company Open AI. The most recent version of Open AI’s product, GPT-4, “scored in the 88th percentile on […]
News Roundup
A bill was introduced at the General Assembly this week to prohibit certain pet leasing agreements. H226 would make it a class 2 misdemeanor to lease or sell a cat […]
Case Summaries – N.C. Court of Appeals (March 21, 2023)
This post summarizes the published criminal opinion from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on March 21, 2023. This summary will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a […]
Case Summaries: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (Feb. 2023)
This post summarizes published criminal and related decisions released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during February 2023. Cases that may be of interest to state practitioners are summarized […]
News Roundup
In January, actor Alec Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting a cinematographer on a film set in New Mexico. There is no suggestion that the shooting was […]