For the second day in a row, I’m pleased to announce a new publication co-authored by Belal. The latest edition of the North Carolina Sentencing Handbook is available for purchase here.
Though the sentencing grids remain unchanged, there have been many appellate cases decided and legislative changes made since the last
I am excited to announce a new edition of Driver’s License Revocations, Restorations, and Limited Driving Privileges in North Carolina. First published in 2024 by my colleague Shea Denning, this publication covers every driver’s license revocation, conditional restoration, and limited
The last few years have brought about several changes to the laws surrounding pretrial release. Before many of these changes, there was a general rule that a defendant charged with a noncapital offense was entitled to have conditions of release
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on December 17, 2025.
Evidence was sufficient to establish essential elements of felony possession of stolen goods and attempted misdemeanor larceny.
Many law enforcement agencies have policies prohibiting officers from associating with criminals, or with felons. From time to time, an officer is disciplined or terminated for violating such a policy. This recent story covers a Savannah officer who was fired
This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the Supreme Court of North Carolina released on December 12, 2025.
Resentencing hearings are de novo unless otherwise limited by the mandate of the reviewing court.
State v. Kelliher, No. 442PA20-2
This post summarizes published criminal law cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during November 2025. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. Previous summaries of Fourth Circuit cases are available here.
While the
December is an exciting time of year. Some people are focused on the upcoming holidays, others on the chance of snow flurries. Here at the School of Government, we’re paying close attention to new legislation, much of which takes effect
In mounting a diminished capacity or voluntary intoxication defense in a first-degree murder case, the defense attempts to “negate” the element of specific intent, premeditation, or deliberation. To negate in this context means to raise a reasonable doubt about a
In an earlier blog post, I summarized North Carolina’s harm reduction immunity laws, including our safe syringe exchange law, G.S. 90-113.27, our Good Samaritan law, G.S. 90-96.2, and others. North Carolina first adopted the Good Samaritan law