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Blog post
News Roundup

The Alamo announced last week that it’s got Pee-wee’s stolen red bicycle, as foretold in the 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” But the bike is not in the basement. The AP reports that the iconic bicycle will serve as a centerpiece in the Mays Family Legacy Gallery, part of a new visitor center and museum ...
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A New Way to Authenticate Video? State v. Windseth and the Business Records Exception

Special thanks to Sloan Godbey, Summer Law Fellow at UNC SOG, for their significant contributions to this post. In March of last year, I did a thorough review of North Carolina cases addressing the authentication of surveillance video. I created a chart to understand what ingredients are adequate (and inadequate) to lay a foundation. That ...

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COA Shuts Down Second Amendment Challenges to Firearm by Felon

Back in February, the Court of Appeals decided State v. Nanes, COA24-487, ___ N.C. App. ___; 912 S.E.2d 202 (Feb. 19, 2025) (summarized here). The case considered and ultimately rejected facial and as-applied Second Amendment challenges to G.S. 14-415.1, our state prohibition on possession of firearms by a felon. Nanes squarely rejected the idea that ...
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The Evolving Law of Juvenile Jurisdiction

The law that governs which cases begin under juvenile jurisdiction changed three times between 2019 and 2025. Each change applies to offenses beginning on and after the effective date of the legislation and is impacted by subsequent changes. This blog pulls the different changes together in one place, providing the quick reference chart below to […]
Blog post
The Evolving Law of Juvenile Jurisdiction

The law that governs which cases begin under juvenile jurisdiction changed three times between 2019 and 2025. Each change applies to offenses beginning on and after the effective date of the legislation and is impacted by subsequent changes. This blog pulls the different changes together in one place, providing the quick reference chart below to ...
Blog post
Case Summaries: N.C. Court of Appeals (July 16, 2025)

This post summarizes the published criminal opinions from the North Carolina Court of Appeals released on July 16, 2025. A juvenile adjudication was properly deemed substantially similar to an offense that would require registration in North Carolina; the law of the other state governs whether a juvenile adjudication from that state is a final conviction ...

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Deep Waters: The Impacts of Tech Innovations on Helene Recovery

When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in September 2024, cutting off power and communication across the region, innovative technologies became lifelines for recovery.
Blog post
News Roundup

One of the top stories this week was the announcement by the Department of Justice that they intend to recommend a one-day, time-served sentence for former Louisville, Kentucky police officer, Brett Hankison. Hankinson was tried and convicted in federal court for using excessive force in violation of Breonna Taylor’s civil rights. Taylor was killed by ...
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State v. Tate: DNA Analysis, the Confrontation Clause, and Testimonial Hearsay

My colleague Joe Hyde blogged last week about the Court of Appeals’ determination in State v. Tate, __ N.C. App. ___ (June 18, 2025), that the trial court did not err when it instructed the jury on a theory that was not alleged in the indictment. I’m returning to Tate this week to discuss another ...

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Case Summaries: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (June 2025)

This post summarizes published criminal law and related cases released by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during June of 2025. Cases of potential interest to state practitioners are summarized monthly. Previous summaries of Fourth Circuit cases are available here. Military search warrant plainly did not authorize seizure and search of defendant’s cell phone and ...
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Circulating Draft Orders in Juvenile Abuse, Neglect, Dependency Proceedings

Assume a hearing in a juvenile abuse, neglect, or dependency (AND) matter has just concluded. The judge announced the broad strokes of their ruling from the bench.  Questions about who is responsible for drafting the order, the need to circulate the order, what happens when a draft order is received by the judge, and the […]
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May a Sheriff or a Deputy Enforce a Municipal Ordinance?

Municipal police have many duties, sometimes including enforcing municipal ordinances. Municipalities without their own police departments typically rely on the county sheriff to provide law enforcement services. The sheriff certainly has territorial jurisdiction to enforce state laws within city limits. But may the sheriff and his or her deputies also enforce municipal ordinances?