Criminal Law Blog. Launched in January 2009, this new blog by faculty member Jeff Welty includes postings about current criminal law issues, answers to recurrent questions that Welty receives from the field, and interesting theories about criminal law that he has stumbled upon. Dec 4, 2023 · Case Summaries: N.C. Supreme Court (Oct. 20, 2023) October 25, 2023 by Alex Phipps. This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the Supreme Court of North Carolina released on October 20, 2023. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a free and searchable database of case summaries from 2008 to the ... The prosecutor offers the report as evidence. The defendant’s attorney objects, relying on North Carolina Rule of Evidence 803(8). That rule creates an exception to the hearsay rule for official records and reports, but it specifically excludes “in criminal cases matters observed by police officers and other law-enforcement personnel.” Denning has written extensively about North Carolina’s motor vehicle laws, including a book on the law of impaired driving. She is a regular contributor to the North Carolina Criminal Law blog and a co-coauthor of Pulled Over: The Law of Traffic Stops and Offenses in North Carolina. She joined the School of Government in 2003. Jul 8, 2020 · James M. Markham. Published for NC Criminal Law on July 08, 2020. A new law provides a limited possibility of sentencing and post-conviction relief for certain defendants convicted of drug trafficking. The law, S.L. 2020-47, is called the North Carolina First Step Act. I wrote about it earlier in the year, here, when it was still under ... Do you know how to become a criminal profiler? Find out how to become a criminal profiler in this article from HowStuffWorks. Advertisement A criminal profiler is a person who stud...May 15, 2023 · Open Carry and Reasonable Suspicion. Published for NC Criminal Law on May 15, 2023. A decade ago, I wrote a post about the circumstances under which police may stop a person who is carrying a gun openly. A lot has changed since then. Sep 22, 2021 · This session, the General Assembly amended the rules governing disclosure of recordings that depict death or serious bodily injury to require (1) that a court determine whether a recording be disclosed; and (2) that the court make such a determination within seven business days of the filing of a disclosure petition. Aug 1, 2022 · August 1, 2022 by Jeff Welty. Over the past several months, I’ve been dropping by clerks’ offices to look at search warrants. I’ve made it to six offices, including offices in eastern, central, and western North Carolina, and in urban and rural areas. I’ve reviewed and made notes on 279 warrants and have at least skimmed hundreds more. The prior conviction (s) may elevate the offense class of the underlying criminal charge, serve as an element of another offense, or subject the defendant to higher punishment based on his or her habitual offender status. The state must allege and plead such prior convictions pursuant to statutory requirements which …Near the end of last year, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided State v. Taylor, 2021-NCSC-164, 866 S.E.2d 740 (2021), and we summarized the opinion here. This post considers the potential impact of Taylor on other offenses involving threatening speech, and addresses a couple lingering questions that may arise in future cases.Jan 21, 2020 · Defending Death by Distribution Cases. Phil Dixon Jr. Published for NC Criminal Law on January 21, 2020. Shea blogged about the new crimes of death by distribution and aggravated death by distribution in G.S. 14-18.4, here. These crimes hit the books this past December, and 2020 will likely see the first prosecutions under the law. 2021 Changes to North Carolina’s Expunction Laws. John Rubin. Published for NC Criminal Law on December 08, 2021. As in recent sessions, the General Assembly …Authenticating Photographs Obtained from Social Media Platforms. Jeffrey B. Welty. Published for NC Criminal Law on May 01, 2023. In my last post, I wrote about how a party might authenticate a Facebook direct message or other text-based electronic communication. That post focused on how the proponent of the evidence might establish …Authenticating Photographs Obtained from Social Media Platforms. Jeffrey B. Welty. Published for NC Criminal Law on May 01, 2023. In my last post, I wrote about how a party might authenticate a Facebook direct message or other text-based electronic communication. That post focused on how the proponent of the evidence might establish …New Resource on Employment Outcomes for People Leaving Prison. January 30, 2024 by Jessica Smith. 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 system. The numbers …The New Law. On or after December 1, 2013, a person who (1) drives (2) a motor vehicle (3) on a street or highway (4) while his or her license has been revoked by the State of North Carolina (4) knowing that his or her license is revoked commits a Class 3 misdemeanor. See S.L. 2013-360, Section 18B.14.Seelye, 815 F.2d 48, 51 (8th Cir. 1987) (stop was justified where the officer “confirmed that [the defendant’s] appearance closely matched the description” of the suspect). I often get asked about pretextual stops. The rule is that if a stop is supported by reasonable suspicion, the officer’s subjective motivation is irrelevant, Whren v.That brings us to the new NC case, State v. Miller, ___ N.C. ___ (June 8, 2018), in which the defendant was charged with murdering his estranged wife, Ms. Wells. Approximately nine months before the murder, Officer Kato responded to a domestic call at the victim’s apartment. Kato made contact with Wells outside of her apartment.Published for NC Criminal Law on August 24, 2017. A recent appellate case sheds additional light on what it means to abscond from probation. Under G.S. 15A …In State v. Humphreys, ___ N.C. App. ___ (Dec. 31, 2020), the defendant’s daughter drove the defendant’s car to high school. During a random canine walkthrough of the school’s parking lot, the dog alerted on the car. The defendant was notified and quickly arrived on scene.Feb 8, 2022 · Near the end of last year, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided State v. Taylor, 2021-NCSC-164, 866 S.E.2d 740 (2021), and we summarized the opinion here. This post considers the potential impact of Taylor on other offenses involving threatening speech, and addresses a couple lingering questions that may arise in future cases. Knapp-Sanders Building Campus Box 3330, UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330 T: (919) 966-5381 | F: (919) 962-0654When the alcohol content in your blood exceeds certain levels as per your state laws, it may lead to a criminal conviction. Laws stipulated for such an offense varies from state to...The School provides content and resources on a wide array of topics in local government and judicial administration in North Carolina. Select a topic to explore all related content. Local and State GovernmentDenning has written extensively about North Carolina’s motor vehicle laws, including a book on the law of impaired driving. She is a regular contributor to the North Carolina Criminal Law blog and a co-coauthor of Pulled Over: The Law of Traffic Stops and Offenses in North Carolina. She joined the School of Government in 2003.Consolidation of Sentences. Published for NC Criminal Law on October 13, 2015. North Carolina sentencing law allows multiple convictions to be consolidated for sentencing. Consolidation of felonies is governed by G.S. 15A-1340.15 (b); G.S. 15A-1340.22 (b) covers misdemeanors. The rule is the same for both types of crimes: when you …Criminal Negligence. Published for NC Criminal Law on November 18, 2010. Criminal negligence (sometimes called culpable negligence) means recklessness or carelessness that shows a thoughtless disregard of consequences or a heedless indifference to the safety and rights of others. State v. Jones, 353 N.C. …Civilian Traffic Enforcement Comes to North Carolina. Published for NC Criminal Law on July 05, 2023. Editor’s note: We are pleased to welcome M. Jeanette Pitts to the blog as an author. Jeanette is a Legal Research Specialist at the Criminal Justice Innovation Lab. According to a report by the North Carolina …Open Carry and Reasonable Suspicion. Published for NC Criminal Law on May 15, 2023. A decade ago, I wrote a post about the circumstances under which police …The right to act in self-defense depended primarily on the authority of court decisions. The General Assembly’s adoption in 2011 of three defensive force statutes—G.S. 14-51.2, G.S. 14-51.3, and G.S. 14-51.4—changed that. An understanding of the law of self-defense in North Carolina now must begin with the statutory law of self-defense.Near the end of last year, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided State v. Taylor, 2021-NCSC-164, 866 S.E.2d 740 (2021), and we summarized the opinion here. This post considers the potential impact of Taylor on other offenses involving threatening speech, and addresses a couple lingering questions that may arise in future cases.Feb 8, 2022 · Near the end of last year, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided State v. Taylor, 2021-NCSC-164, 866 S.E.2d 740 (2021), and we summarized the opinion here. This post considers the potential impact of Taylor on other offenses involving threatening speech, and addresses a couple lingering questions that may arise in future cases. For constitutional requirements, see pages 594-98 in Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina (5th ed. 2016). In 2007, legislation codified in G.S. 15A-284.50 through -284.53 imposed requirements concerning how officers must conduct live and photo lineups.A national, empirical study of defenses found that the defense of entrapment arose in just 0.08% of cases, usually “to little avail.” Stephen G. Valdes, Frequency and Success: An Empirical Study of Criminal Law Defenses, Federal Constitutional Evidentiary Claims, and Plea Negotiations, 153 U. Penn. L. Rev. 1709, 1716 (2005).But every now …Under current law, a law enforcement agency that receives a written request for disclosure of any such recording must “as promptly as possible” either …A national, empirical study of defenses found that the defense of entrapment arose in just 0.08% of cases, usually “to little avail.” Stephen G. Valdes, Frequency and Success: An Empirical Study of Criminal Law Defenses, Federal Constitutional Evidentiary Claims, and Plea Negotiations, 153 U. Penn. L. Rev. 1709, 1716 (2005).But every now …This guide groups expunctions of adult criminal matters into four main categories, corresponding to the main types of expunctions available under North Carolina law. The four categories are: convictions and other matters based on the age of the person at the time of the offense or the age of the offense;The breakdown. Nearly 60 percent of misdemeanor DWIs (19,720 to be exact) were sentenced at the lowest level of punishment: Level 5. Two percent (643) were sentenced at the highest level of punishment: Aggravated Level 1. Sixty percent of DWI sentences placed the defendant on unsupervised probation, while 33 percent placed the …This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the Supreme Court of North Carolina released on November 4, 2022. This summary will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a free and searchable database of case summaries from 2008 to the present.. Defendant preserved his challenge to …Jun 4, 2019 · The right to act in self-defense depended primarily on the authority of court decisions. The General Assembly’s adoption in 2011 of three defensive force statutes—G.S. 14-51.2, G.S. 14-51.3, and G.S. 14-51.4—changed that. An understanding of the law of self-defense in North Carolina now must begin with the statutory law of self-defense. Health care providers subject to these requirements may disclose such information for a law enforcement purposes to a law enforcement official in compliance with a court order or court-ordered warrant, or a subpoena or summons issued by a judicial official. 45 C.F.R. 164.512. Exception to confidentiality rules in …The North Carolina General Assembly recently passed S.L. 2022-30 (S 766) which increases the penalties for organized retail theft, provides additional penalties for damage to property or assault of a person during the commission of organized retail theft, and clarifies the procedure for the return of seized property …The court of appeals in State v. Taylor, 212 N.C. App. 238, 248–49 (2011), held that that two-year statute of limitations for misdemeanor offenses does not apply when the issue of a defendant’s guilt of a misdemeanor offense is submitted to the jury as a lesser included offense of a properly charged felony. In …Hardee, 723 F.3d 488 (4th Cir. 2013) (summarizing, in a federal habeas case, that “expert testimony on eyewitness identifications is not automatically admitted; when allowed, its admissibility is generally at the court’s discretion, both under federal and North Carolina law”); State v. Cotton, 99 N.C. App. 615 (1990) (the defendant in a ... Roles / Topics. The Criminal Law in North Carolina microsite is a collection of educational resources created and compiled by criminal law faculty at the School of Government to assist people who work in the North Carolina criminal courts and criminal justice system. Please feel free to contact us with questions in our areas of expertise or ... S.L. 2011-6. In that legislation, the General Assembly asked the North Carolina Supreme Court to “reconsider, and overrule, its holding in State v. Carter that the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule which exists under federal law does not apply under North Carolina State law.“ Id. at § 2.The U.K.’s recently appointed secretary of state for digital, Nadine Dorries, has signalled she wants to take a tougher line on social media platforms than her predecessor — tellin...Mar 23, 2022 · G.S. 14-4(b). Some ordinances provided for civil or administrative penalties instead, but most had criminal consequences. SOG faculty member Jessie Smith wrote here about the frequency with which ordinance violations resulted in criminal charges, concluding that in 2018, there were more than 10,000 charges of this kind in North Carolina. A third decision, State v. Hurt, __ N.C. __ (June 27, 2013), applied Ortiz-Zape to a case involving substitute analysts in serology and DNA. 2. The State must lay a proper foundation for substitute analyst testimony. The Ortiz-Zape court found that the prosecutor had laid a proper foundation for Ray’s testimony.The right to act in self-defense depended primarily on the authority of court decisions. The General Assembly’s adoption in 2011 of three defensive force statutes—G.S. 14-51.2, G.S. 14-51.3, and G.S. 14-51.4—changed that. An understanding of the law of self-defense in North Carolina now must begin with the statutory law of self-defense.Knapp-Sanders Building Campus Box 3330, UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330 T: (919) 966-5381 | F: (919) 962-0654Today’s post takes a closer look at the threshold question of which crimes are covered under the law. Under prior law, the crimes covered under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) were listed in G.S. 15A-830 (7). They included all Class A through Class E felonies, a list of enumerated felonies, certain misdemeanors when committed between ... A blog by the faculty and staff of the UNC School of Government that disseminates information about North Carolina criminal law and procedure and related topics. The blog invites topic suggestions, but does not accept guest posts from outside authors. The authors welcome feedback and comments from the readers. Published for NC Criminal Law on June 14, 2023. The General Assembly last amended our satellite-based monitoring (“SBM”) laws in 2021, substantially reworking who qualifies for SBM, the process of petitioning for termination of SBM, and the potential length of SBM (among other changes). If …Dec 4, 2023 · Case Summaries: N.C. Supreme Court (Oct. 20, 2023) October 25, 2023 by Alex Phipps. This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the Supreme Court of North Carolina released on October 20, 2023. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a free and searchable database of case summaries from 2008 to the ... Shea Riggsbee Denning. Published for NC Criminal Law on March 02, 2023. The Sixth Amendment provides that a person accused of a crime “shall enjoy a public trial.”. This right is grounded in the belief that judges and prosecutors will carry out their duties more responsibly in open court than they might in secret proceedings as well as the ...The capacity-commitment process in North Carolina often begins with an evaluation, conducted by mental health professionals on order of a criminal court judge, about a defendant’s capacity to defend against the pending criminal charges. G.S. 15A-1002 (a). Following the evaluation, if the defendant is incapable of …Feb 14, 2012 · Restitution. February 14, 2012 by Jamie Markham. Our appellate courts spend a lot of time writing about restitution. Consequently, so do I. Prior posts discuss some of the thornier restitution issues that come up from time to time. There’s this one on restitution for drug-buy money; this one on restitution to victims of unconvicted conduct ... In the United States, the criminal justice system is supposed to be one of the most fair and just in the world. There are, however, many disparities in who is treated more harshly ...The new 48-hour law applies to defendants who were on pretrial release before October 1. New G.S. 15A-533 (h) is effective for offenses committed on or after October 1, 2023. This language means that the new 48-hour rule applies to all offenses committed on or after that date, regardless of when the defendant …S.L. 2023-151, § 2 (a) . Section 15A-1340.16F provides that if a person is convicted of two or more of the same financial crimes – embezzlement, false pretenses, or elder exploitation – the crimes may be “aggregated for sentencing” if: (1) the crimes were committed against more than one victim or in more than one county, and (2) the ...This new report from the Council on Criminal Justice says that homicide and violent crimes fell last year in 38 studied cities, but property crimes were mixed and car thefts were way up. Violent crimes are still above pre-pandemic levels, but seem to be getting closer to that baseline. The report has much more …This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on March 7, 2023. These summaries will be added to Smith’s Criminal Case Compendium, a free and searchable database of case summaries from 2008 to the present. Trial court did not err when denying motion to dismiss due to sufficient …Aug 24, 2017 · An Update on Absconding. James M. Markham. Published for NC Criminal Law on August 24, 2017. A recent appellate case sheds additional light on what it means to abscond from probation. Under G.S. 15A-1343 (b) (3a), it is a regular condition of probation that a defendant must not “abscond by willfully avoiding supervision or by willfully making ... Knapp-Sanders Building Campus Box 3330, UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330 T: (919) 966-5381 | F: (919) 962-0654Phil Dixon Jr. Published for NC Criminal Law on February 23, 2022. In an earlier post, I wrote that simple possession of fentanyl was a misdemeanor Schedule II offense under then-current law. No more. Effective Dec. 1, 2021, fentanyl possession in any amount is treated as a felony.James M. Markham. Published for NC Criminal Law on July 28, 2015. North Carolina has a lot of habitual offender laws: habitual felon, violent habitual felon, armed habitual felon, habitual breaking and entering, habitual impaired driving, and habitual misdemeanor assault. A question that comes up is the extent to which these laws may ...It is, however, an issue that arises in criminal cases. The term “corpus delicti” (sometimes spelled corpus delecti) means the body of the crime. Black’s Law Dictionary 310 (5 th ed. 1979); State v. Smith, 362 N.C. 583, 589 (2008). It refers to the substance of the crime, which ordinarily includes two elements: the act and the criminal ...Under current law, a law enforcement agency that receives a written request for disclosure of any such recording must “as promptly as possible” either …North Carolina Criminal Law; On the Civil Side; ... North Carolina law... Blog post Preauditing Employment-Related Agreements ... New SOG Bulletin: Consent to Care for Minor Patients: An Update on the Legal Landscape After S.L. 2023-106, Part III Last August, following a legislative override of the Governor’s veto, the General Assembly …If you are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement or criminal justice, then obtaining a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice is an excellent place to start. This degre...Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (“delta-8 THC”) is an isomer of the more (in)famous cannabinoid, delta-9 THC. The two chemicals are closely related and are distinguished only by a single chemical bond, according to Wikipedia and other sources. The compound is naturally present in small quantities in hemp and marijuana.S.L. 2023-151, § 2 (a) . Section 15A-1340.16F provides that if a person is convicted of two or more of the same financial crimes – embezzlement, false pretenses, or elder exploitation – the crimes may be “aggregated for sentencing” if: (1) the crimes were committed against more than one victim or in more than one county, and (2) the ...Feb 14, 2012 · Restitution. February 14, 2012 by Jamie Markham. Our appellate courts spend a lot of time writing about restitution. Consequently, so do I. Prior posts discuss some of the thornier restitution issues that come up from time to time. There’s this one on restitution for drug-buy money; this one on restitution to victims of unconvicted conduct ... The new 48-hour law applies to defendants who were on pretrial release before October 1. New G.S. 15A-533 (h) is effective for offenses committed on or after October 1, 2023. This language means that the new 48-hour rule applies to all offenses committed on or after that date, regardless of when the defendant …May 18, 2022 · As the largest university-based local government training, advisory, and research organization in the United States, the School of Government serves more than 12,000 public officials each year. The School provides content and resources for a wide array of local government and judicial officials in North Carolina. S.L. 2021-182 makes several changes to these requirements, effective June 1, 2022 for licenses restored on or after that date. Ignition interlock will be required only on vehicles driven. Current G.S. 20-17.8 (c1) requires that a person subject to its requirements have all registered vehicles that he or she owns equipped with ignition interlock.The “single taking” rule prevents a defendant from being charged or convicted multiple times for a single continuous act or transaction. State v. Adams, 331 N.C. 317, 333 (1992). In larceny cases, the single taking rule works to punish a defendant for only one count of larceny regardless of how many items were taken …. Shea Riggsbee Denning. Published for NC Criminal Law on MaAny changes to Northern Ireland's law will now be up to the polit Consolidation of Sentences. Published for NC Criminal Law on October 13, 2015. North Carolina sentencing law allows multiple convictions to be consolidated for sentencing. Consolidation of felonies is governed by G.S. 15A-1340.15 (b); G.S. 15A-1340.22 (b) covers misdemeanors. The rule is the same for both types of crimes: when you …In a post here, I noted that under state law, counties, cities, towns, and metropolitan sewerage districts have authority to create crimes through local ordinances.This is a somewhat controversial issue. As I’ve noted, one of the arguments made in the national conversation about overcriminalization is that too many minor … Reference and research services are availab The “single taking” rule prevents a defendant from being charged or convicted multiple times for a single continuous act or transaction. State v. Adams, 331 N.C. 317, 333 (1992). In larceny cases, the single taking rule works to punish a defendant for only one count of larceny regardless of how many items were taken … In North Carolina, laws require any person or ...
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