Police still use odor to justify searches, even though legal hemp and illegal marijuana smell the same. The state Supreme Court now weighs in.
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 inCourts & Justice
Supreme Politics
State Supreme Court campaigns used to be removed from the political debates of the day. Not any more.
Posted inCourts & Justice
A Batson Rejection
The state Supreme Court declined to review claims of jury discrimination even though the prosecutor admitted to considering race.
Posted inCourts & Justice
An Extraordinary Exoneration
A judge overturned the convictions of four men accused as teens of murdering NBA star Chris Paul’s grandfather.
Posted inNewsletters
The Thread: A Reporter Notebook and Legal Limbo
A Guilford County judge silenced a News & Record reporter and seized her notes. The same judge is blocking efforts to challenge the ruling.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Stuck in Byzantine Limbo
An attorney for the News & Record says a judge and court officials are blocking efforts to challenge her ruling.
Posted inCourts & Justice
An Inmate’s Unlikely Ally
Charles McNeair has been in prison for more than 45 years. He has a surprising new advocate for clemency: the police chief.
Posted inCourts & Justice, Legislation, Politics & Government
A Ticking Clock for Wrongful Conviction Claims
A new law sets a seven-year time limit to file a motion for appropriate relief. Opponents worry it could allow wrongful convictions to stand.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Prosecutors Made a Rare Concession in a Murder Case. But Will It Matter?
Ruben Wright was a high-ranking Black Marine before his murder conviction. His lawyers say a main theory presented at trial has since collapsed.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Griffin Concedes to Riggs, Ending Six-Month Fight Over NC Supreme Court Race
The concession comes two days after a federal judge ordered the State Board of Elections to certify the 734-vote win for Riggs.