This post summarizes published criminal law and related cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during March 2026. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. Previous summaries of Fourth Circuit cases are available here.
UNC | School of Government
The UNC School of Government is an academic institution that publishes detailed legal analyses and summaries primarily focused on North Carolina law and appellate court decisions. Its publications cover a range of criminal law topics including case law summaries from state and federal courts, legislative updates on state statutes such as firearm regulations and harm reduction laws, and discussions on legal defenses and evidentiary standards. The content is aimed at legal practitioners, providing practical insights into recent legal developments, statutory changes, and appellate rulings relevant to state government and criminal justice practice.
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Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (April 15, 2026).
This post summaries the published opinions in criminal cases issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals on April 15, 2026.
Sufficient evidence supported denying the defendant’s motion to dismiss charges of accessing a government computer to defraud and obtaining…
Artificial Intelligence, Local Orders, and the Courts
By Shea Denning
A few years ago, T-shirts and coffee mugs with the phrase “Please do not confuse your Google search with my law degree,” were making the rounds. What simpler times those were. Thanks to the rapid development and proliferation of generative…
Time’s Arrow: Does McLymore’s Causal Nexus Requirement Have a Temporal Component?
The statutory right to use deadly force in self-defense is not available to one who was committing a felony. G.S. 14-51.4(1). In State v. McLymore, 380 N.C. 185 (2022), the North Carolina Supreme Court interpreted this provision as…
Cyberstalking and Free Speech
By Jeff Welty
In recent months, I have received several questions about what North Carolina’s cyberstalking statute covers and whether it may infringe on First Amendment free speech rights. This post addresses several potential legal issues under the statute.
Background. The statute is…
Total Split Sentence Exposure, Revisited
In 2018, I wrote this post, https://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/2018/11/28/total-split-sentence-exposure/, about split sentences, examining the total limit on split sentence incarceration that a judge can order at sentencing and as a later modification of probation. There’s a “one-fourth rule” at sentencing, allowing…
Extradition Basics: Fugitive Warrants and Governor’s Warrants
Extradition is the procedure by which a person who has committed a crime in one state, escaped from custody in one state, or violated probation, parole or post-release supervision imposed by one state and has fled to another state is…
Updated Chapters in the Superior Court Judges’ Benchbook
By Shea Denning
Several chapters in the criminal law and evidence sections of the Superior Court Judges’ Benchbook recently have been updated. Among those chapters is Indictments, written by Joe Hyde, which begins by noting the significance of the North Carolina Supreme…
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (April 1, 2026)
By Shea Denning
This post summarizes published criminal law opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on April 1, 2026.
(1) Evidence was sufficient to support charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm within an occupied enclosure with the intent…
Developments in Roadside Drug Testing
Earlier this year, I attended the North Carolina Oral Fluid Summit sponsored by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. The focus of the Summit was roadside oral fluid testing for substances other than…