If you are facing criminal charges in North Carolina, recent court decisions may directly affect what evidence your lawyer can obtain and how quickly that evidence becomes available. One of the most important of these rulings is State v. Chemuti, a decision that changes how body-camera and dash-camera recordings are…
This guide explains how North Carolina prosecutors and defense lawyers analyze death by vehicle charges, proximate cause, and charging discretion in impaired-driving fatalities 1. The Case May Reach the Prosecutor Long After the Train Has Left the Station In some North Carolina jurisdictions, prosecutors learn about fatal crashes well after…
Mecklenburg County bond hearings follow the North Carolina pretrial release law, yet the way those bond hearings are scheduled, reviewed, and decided in Charlotte reflects the size of the 26th Judicial District, the structure of its felony dockets, and recent statutory changes (Iryna’s Law) that raised the bar for release…
DUI checkpoints in North Carolina remain constitutional under a January 2026 Court of Appeals decision that clarifies how police must conduct sobriety checkpoints and license checkpoints. In North Carolina vs White (“State v. White”) the North Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed that a DWI checkpoint in Robeson County complied with both…
In North Carolina, questions about “stand your ground” turn on how the law evaluates whether the use of force was legally justified. That evaluation depends on where an encounter occurs, how it begins, and the legal consequences that flow from those facts. 1. Location affects the legal starting point North…
As of 2026, the phrase “stand your ground” is the gateway term that most non-lawyers use when they are trying to understand North Carolina self-defense law. N.C.G.S. § 14-51.3 addresses when defensive force, including deadly force, may be used in a place where you have the lawful right to be…
In North Carolina, “stand your ground” is governed by a statutory use-of-force framework, including the castle doctrine under N.C.G.S. § 14-51.2 and the no-duty-to-retreat provisions in N.C.G.S. § 14-51.3. The castle doctrine law in NC operates through statutory definitions, mandatory presumptions, and burden shifting, not necessarily through the generalized reasonableness…
In the recent appellate decision of North Carolina v. Escalante (also cited as State v. Escalante), No. COA25-64, filed December 17, 2025, the North Carolina Court of Appeals examined whether the defendant had the legal right, known as standing, to challenge the legality of electronic surveillance used in his arrest.…
Miranda rights in North Carolina give real effect to the Fifth Amendment privilege against compelled self-incrimination. Miranda becomes relevant the moment law enforcement transitions from general investigation to custodial interrogation, limiting what officers may ask before warnings (the advisement of legal rights) are given and what statements prosecutors may later…
In North Carolina impaired driving cases where retrograde extrapolation becomes relevant, chemical testing is often separated from the driving event by significant delay. This is most commonly seen in serious vehicular prosecutions where impaired driving serves as a predicate offense, including collision investigations involving injury or death, where scene management,…
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