The North Carolina Criminal Law blog, published by UNC School of Government, covers developments in criminal law relevant to North Carolina practitioners. It provides case summaries from appellate courts, legislative updates including changes to gun laws and sentencing enhancements, and analysis of specific legal defenses such as diminished capacity and voluntary intoxication. The blog also addresses procedural issues like expert testimony admissibility and discovery violations, as well as statutory interpretations of laws like the Good Samaritan harm reduction statute. Its content focuses on practical implications of criminal law decisions, statutory changes, and defense strategies within the state.
Debbie Defendant is charged with misdemeanor stalking under G.S. 14-277.3A. She fails to appear in district court on January 23, 2026. The district court judge issues an order for Debbie’s arrest, recommending imposition of a $10,000 secured bond.
Debbie…
The Juvenile Code provides explicit procedure for discovery in juvenile delinquency matters. This procedure does not mirror the law that governs discovery in criminal matters. The statutes also do not address the constitutional obligation for disclosure of certain exculpatory evidence…
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on January 21, 2026.
(1) Impeachment by prior inconsistent statements and bias did not constitute an attack on the complainant’s character for truthfulness under Rule…
In Part I of this three-part series revisiting Simeon v. Hardin, 339 N.C. 358 (1994), I explored the district attorney’s calendaring practices that were challenged in the landmark case, and I discussed the first of three major issues: pretrial delays…
In May 2024, Orange County and the Chapel Hill Police Department launched the Crisis Assistance, Response, and Engagement (CARE) Team. The CARE Team is an all-civilian mobile crisis response team comprised of a mental health counselor, an emergency medical technician…
This post summarizes published criminal law and related cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during December 2025. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. Previous summaries of Fourth Circuit cases are available here.…
I wrote here about the North Carolina Court of Appeals decision in State v. Calderon, 290 N.C. App. 344 (2023), which set forth a new test for determining whether multiple acts of touching a child during a single encounter…
Not much has changed for cannabis law at the state level since my last post on the topic. I noted there that several defendants were seeking review before the North Carolina Supreme Court regarding the potential impact of legal hemp…
A short-form murder indictment generally will not support a conviction for assault. That, at any rate, was the rule prior to State v. Singleton, 386 N.C. 183 (2024) (holding that failure of an indictment to allege each essential element…
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on January 7, 2026.
Videos of the defendant sexually assaulting his unconscious wife were authenticated by her testimony that (a) she recognized herself and the…
