North Carolina Criminal Law

Where the trial court did not afford defense counsel an opportunity to rebut the prosecutor’s proffered race-neutral reasons for striking black jurors, thereby failing to conduct the third step of the Batson inquiry, the Mississippi Supreme Court’s conclusion that the defendant waived his opportunity to rebut those reasons was unreasonable.

This post is a follow-up from last month’s post Initial Appearances, Implied Consent Offenses, and Offenses Involving Impaired Driving Part 1. In Part 1, we discussed the differences...

Probation records are privileged. That protection stems from an old statute, G.S. 15-207, which was enacted in 1937—the same year the original North Carolina Probation Commission was established. See N.C. Dep’t of Social R...

Last week I participated in a CLE event sponsored by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Court. It was a great event and an opportunity for me to learn about Cherokee history, culture, and institutions.

My main role at the CLE was to teach a session on the authentica...

Last Friday, violence erupted outside the Wake County Courthouse when Gwendolyn White reportedly shot at two lawyers, Mary Harris and Jeffrey Whitley. The attack happened after a tense hearing at which the lawyers were representing the Rolesville Police Department in a matter involving officer-worn body camera footage potentially related to the death of Ms. White’s mother. Th...