Smith's Criminal Case Compendium

Smith's Criminal Case Compendium

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This compendium includes significant criminal cases by the U.S. Supreme Court & N.C. appellate courts, Nov. 2008 – Present. Selected 4th Circuit cases also are included.

Jessica Smith prepared case summaries Nov. 2008-June 4, 2019; later summaries are prepared by other School staff.

Instructions

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E.g., 03/14/2025
E.g., 03/14/2025

In this Caswell County case, the Supreme Court majority affirmed the Court of Appeals decision that defendant’s convictions were valid even though he never received the competency evaluation ordered by the trial court under G.S. 15A-1002. The Court concluded that defendant waived his statutory...

In this Gaston County case, the Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Appeals decision finding no error when the trial court declined to conduct further inquiry into defendant’s capacity after determining that he voluntarily absented himself by jumping from a balcony on the sixth day of trial. ...

State v. Wilkins, 287 N.C. App. 343 2022-12-29 aff’d, No. 44A23, --- N.C. ----, 909 S.E.2d 215 (Jan 30 2023)

In this Caswell County case, Defendant appealed his conviction for drug possession charges, arguing error by the trial court for the lack of a competency evaluation and admission of testimony regarding his silence at a traffic stop. The Court of Appeals found no error.

Defendant was in the...

The court rejected the defendant’s argument that his due process rights were violated when the trial judge failed to provide him with a hearing before ordering an examination of his capacity to proceed. G.S. 15A-1002 does not require the trial judge to conduct a hearing before such an...

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