News Roundup
An attack in San Jose on Wednesday that left 10 people dead now is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the California Bay Area. The San Jose Mercury […]
United States v. Davis: Fourth Circuit Extends Gant to Containers Generally
The Fourth Circuit held in United States v. Davis, No. 20-4035, 2021 WL 1826255, ___ F.3d ___ (4th Cir. May 7, 2021) that officers unlawfully searched a suspect’s backpack, which […]
Jurisdiction Over Parents in Delinquency Cases When the Juvenile is 18 or Older
Does the court have authority over parents of juveniles who are respondents in delinquency matters once the juvenile turns 18? This question has come up repeatedly as practitioners across North […]
News Roundup
On Monday, District Attorney Andrew Womble announced his determination that the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies during the service of search and arrest warrants at […]
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (May 18, 2021)
This post summarizes published criminal decisions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on May 4, 2021. These summaries, which were written by Shea Denning and Jamie Markham, will […]
Case Summaries: U.S. Supreme Court (May 17, 2021)
This post summarizes decisions released by the United States Supreme Court on May 17, 2021. As always, they will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a free and searchable database […]
When May Officers Use Deadly Force?
Recent well-publicized incidents have led to questions about when a law enforcement officer may use deadly force to seize a fleeing suspect. The short answer is that the Constitution permits […]
Case Summaries: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (April 2021)
This post summarizes published criminal and related decisions from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals released during April 2021.
An Update on Face Covering Requirements in Courthouses (and Elsewhere)
A week ago, I noted that Chief Justice Paul Newby had renewed several emergency directives, including Emergency Directive 21, which required that persons in a court facility wear a face […]
An Introduction to North Carolina Computer Crimes
By now, we’re all aware of last week’s crisis that caused people to hurry to the pumps and fill up on gas. If not, here’s the news: a hacker group […]