Jeffrey B. Welty is an expert in the area of criminal law and procedure. His research interests include the law of policing, search and seizure, digital evidence, and criminal pleadings.

Welty joined the School of Government in 2008. He founded and contributes regularly to the North Carolina Criminal Law Blog, an award-winning resource visited by approximately 100,000 users each month. He has written for, appeared on, or been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, National Public Radio, Bloomberg News, Lawyers’ Weekly, the Raleigh News and Observer, and many other media outlets. His books about capital punishment and digital evidence are widely-used legal references. Welty previously served as the director of the North Carolina Judicial College, which provides training and education to the state’s judicial officials.

Welty completed a federal judicial clerkship and worked in private practice before coming to the School. He has taught police, prosecutors, and judges in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia. From 2020 to 2021, he spent two years on leave from the School at the North Carolina Department of Justice, where he led the Special Prosecutions and Law Enforcement Section. Welty earned a J.D. from Duke University School of Law with highest honors.