A Fine Sentence for Class 3 Misdemeanors
John Rubin
I thought I’d take a few minutes and jot down some questions and answers about the new fine-only punishment scheme for Class 3 misdemeanors for many defendants (enacted as part […]
Blog
December 2, 2013
I thought I’d take a few minutes and jot down some questions and answers about the new fine-only punishment scheme for Class 3 misdemeanors for many defendants (enacted as part […]
Read post "A Fine Sentence for Class 3 Misdemeanors"July 23, 2013
The legislature has agreed on a budget, and it contains some provisions that will impact misdemeanor sentencing and the appointment of counsel — potentially in tens of thousands of cases […]
Read post "Misdemeanor Reclassification, the Right to Counsel, and the Budget"October 17, 2011
In response to my recent post (here) about waivers of counsel, a number of you emailed asking me to write about forfeiture of the right to counsel. Your wish is […]
Read post "Forfeiture of the Right to Counsel"August 25, 2011
[Editor’s note: For a discussion of waivers in the context of probation violation proceedings, see Jamie Markham’s recent post here.] In the last batch of N.C. Court of Appeals’ decisions […]
Read post "How to Take a Waiver of Counsel"August 22, 2011
In North Carolina a probationer has a statutory right to counsel at a probation violation hearing. G.S. 15A-1345(e); G.S. 7A-451(a)(4). The probationer can also waive the right to assistance of […]
Read post "Waivers of Counsel at Probation Violation Hearings"August 4, 2011
Sometimes the state wants to introduce evidence that the defendant invoked his right to remain silent or his right to counsel under Miranda. If the prosecution’s purpose is simply to […]
Read post "References to the Defendant’s Assertion of Miranda Rights"June 1, 2009
Update: Another statistical analysis of Judge Sotomayor’s work in criminal cases appears here. The conclusion — that she’s pretty close to the middle of the road — is the same […]
Read post "More Montejo, Mostly"May 27, 2009
Two big developments at the United States Supreme Court. First, President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace Justice David Souter. The New York Times story is here, some News […]
Read post "Montejo v. Louisiana"April 30, 2009
The Supreme Court’s latest criminal law decision is Kansas v. Ventris, available here. The basic holding is that a statement obtained in violation of a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to […]
Read post "Kansas v. Ventris and the Sixth Amendment"April 3, 2009
Update: I spent some time over the weekend thinking about this case. It seems to me that one likely upshot of Harbison is that some states that currently provide for […]
Read post "Least Interesting Post Ever"