Category: Criminal Law
Owning property comes with many benefits. One of those benefits is to enjoy the exclusive use of that property without infringement from the outside world. If you enter or remain on another person’s property without permission, you face both criminal and civil charges for trespassing. What will the prosecution have to do in order to…
While some states are fighting to decriminalize some drug use, North Carolina is doubling down on its war on drugs. In 2017, thousands of people in North Carolina were arrested on drug possession charges. Most of these arrests were made as part of various County-oriented drug crackdown operations across the state. Through these operations, the police are…
A recent United States Court of Appeals decision highlights one of the potential consequences of a North Carolina criminal conviction: a significantly increased sentence for subsequent crimes. United States v. Thompson Shawntanna Lemarus Thompson pled guilty to a drug offense and being a felon in possession of a firearm. A federal North Carolina District Court increased…
Two hundred years before cell phones, the founding fathers enacted the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to protect our citizens’ privacy. After suffering and escaping the King’s “general” search and seizure activities without any warrants, much less probable cause, the colonies stood against any such activities, albeit after years of debate. The result was…
A few months back, the Supreme Court announced that it would review a decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals’ 6th Circuit Decision in the controversial case, Carpenter v. United States. The potential landmark case has cultivated an array of questions concerning the fourth amendment and the extent of its protections in regard to government…
Wrongful convictions occur every year in the United States at staggering rates. Last year, a total of 166 people were exonerated for crimes they didn’t commit, setting a record for the most people absolved in a year’s time, according to data collected by the National Registry of Exonerations. As disconcerting as this number is, it merely…
Open container violations have invariably accompanied DWI and DUI charges and convictions in most states. However, a recent slew of appeals in open container cases reveal that the charge’s applicability and enforcement in these jurisdictions are often misconceived by both police departments and civilians alike. Among such cases, is a situation involving a North Carolina…
Overcriminalization is a potent ailment that has infected every level of government across the nation. This proliferation – which has criminalized mundane behavior through the expansion of legislation – has particularly affected residents on a statewide scale. The collective of state residents who attempt to abide by the law in good faith are the demographic…
The family of a student at Drexel University have filed a lawsuit against a number of members of a fraternity at the school over events that occurred in 2015. Ian McGibbon of Narbeth, Pennsylvania was severely injured in a fight. One night in September of 2015, Ian’s life was changed forever. Ian suffered a devastating brain injury…
Scandals involving illegal drugs and associated crimes have pretty much become commonplace in the nation. When these crimes are committed, citizens rely on law enforcement officials to offer them protection by arresting perpetrators and bringing them to justice. But time and time again, citizens have witnessed that sometimes, the very authorities that are supposed to…