Administration of Justice Bulletin #2004/06

The General Assembly enacted three major pieces of legislation in the field of criminal law and procedure as well as numerous smaller acts. The General Assembly significantly expanded the discovery rights of both the defense and prosecution in criminal cases. It enacted a package of legislation recommended by the House Select Committee on Domestic Violence, making changes that affect domes tic violence prosecutions and criminal law generally. And, it significantly increased the punishments for offenses involving the controlled substance methamphetamine.

Each ratified act discussed here is identified by its chapter number in the session laws and by the number of the original bill. When an act creates new sections in the General Statutes (G.S.), the section number is given; however, the codifier of statutes may change that number later. Copies of the bills may be viewed on the website for the General Assembly, http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/.