Charles McNeair says he’s innocent. But if his case file is missing, how can he prove it?
Michael Hewlett
Michael Hewlett is a courts and law reporter for The Assembly. He was previously a legal affairs reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal and has won two Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Awards.
Posted inAll Access
Darryl Howard Keeps Losing (Even When He Wins)
In the criminal justice system, happy endings are hard to come by.
Posted inAll Access
A Black Teen. A White Woman. A Life Sentence.
Charles McNeair was 16 when a white woman accused him of rape. He took a plea deal, thinking his life was in danger—and he’s still in prison 43 years later.
Posted inCourts & Justice
A Black Teen. A White Woman. A Life Sentence.
Charles McNeair was 16 when a white woman accused him of rape. His advocates say the case deserves another look.
Posted inAll Access
Durham’s New Vision for Public Safety
We’re still beta-testing this newsletter and would love your feedback. Let us know what you think courts@theassemblync.com. When Durham established its Community Safety Department in July 2021, it was just over a year after George Floyd’s murder sparked a national movement to defund police departments. At that point, reform efforts were breaking against the rocks […]
Posted inAll Access
eCourts Not Actually a Mess, Court System Says
We’re still beta-testing this newsletter and would love your feedback. Let us know what you think: courts@theassemblync.com. Also, if you have an nccourts.gov email address, please let us know that you’ve received this. The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts would like everyone to know that its no-good, very-bad eCourts rollout hasn’t actually been […]
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A Consequential, Politically Charged, and Highly Unusual Case
We’re still beta testing this newsletter and would love your feedback. Take a brief survey here. Three federal appellate judges heard arguments in late January in a hugely consequential, politically charged lawsuit over North Carolina’s refusal to cover gender-affirming care for state employees and their dependents. But those judges won’t decide the case—at least not […]
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The New NC Supreme Court’s First Decisions
In late January, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat, said the court’s new Republican majority planned to strip the Court of Appeals of the ability to determine which of its rulings set precedents.
Posted inCourts & Justice
A $100 Million Mess
The rollout of North Carolina’s long-delayed attempt to digitize court records has been a catastrophe. Can it be salvaged?
