I have been covering developments around the legalization of hemp in North Carolina since 2018. Never did I suspect then that I would still be working on the topic all this time later, but here we are. My last post on In Re: J.B.P. covered the then most recent developments around probable cause and the odor of …
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Maximizing the Digital Tools We Already Have
Live webinar presented by Jamie Blackwell and Anthony MonaghanApr 3, 2025, 12:30pm90 min of Tech CLE credit anticipated This program will prepare attorneys and defense teams to utilize technology tools that many offices already have access to in order to maximize effectiveness in representing their clients in cases involving large amounts of digital discovery. Speakers …
Can Law Enforcement Review Ankle Monitor Location Data Without a Warrant?
Reposted from North Carolina Criminal Law, a UNC School of Government Blog Last September, the Court of Appeals decided State v. Thomas, No. COA23-210, __ N.C. App. __ (2024), a case involving law enforcement’s retrieval of ankle monitor location data gathered while the defendant was on post-release supervision. This is the first North Carolina appellate case …
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Defending Death by Distribution Cases in NC
Join us in Durham March 27 & 28, 2025 for a FREE, in-person training on Defending Death by Distribution Cases. Topics will include: Co-sponsored by IDS, NACDL, NCAJ, and Vital Strategies, this program is open to all North Carolina criminal defense lawyers, investigators, and mitigation specialists. Make plans to join us in RTP for this …
Western Regional State Crime Lab tour offered
Would you like to see where evidence is tested at the State Crime Lab and learn more about the methods used at the Lab? The NC State Crime Laboratory is offering a tour of the Western Regional Lab in Edneyville for criminal defense attorneys and investigators. The tour will take place on Apr. 4, 2025 …
Probabilistic Genotyping: Interpreting Complex DNA Mixtures with STRmix CLE
The Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office is offering a free to attend presentation on Probabilistic Genotyping: Interpreting Complex DNA Mixtures with STRmix. Pending Approval by the NC State Bar, this presentation is for 2.5 hours of general CLE credit. As this presentation will not give a refresher course on DNA basics, please click the below …
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Whiskey in the Courtroom 11 – Registration is open!
Indigent Defense Services, the Duke Law Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, and Pfeiffer Rudolf are pleased to announce the eleventh annual CLE, “Whiskey in the Courtroom: Evolving Trends in Forensic Science.” Whiskey 11 will take place on March 7, 2025 at Duke Law School. Forensic science experts …
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2025 Forensic Trial Litigation CLE at Duke Law
Pre-recorded lectures: 2 hrs February 7: 2 pm to 5 pm (2.5 hrs.) February 8: 9 am to 12 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm (5 hrs.) Total CLE Hours: 2 hrs prerecorded + 7.5 hrs in person = 9.5 hrs(Each three hour in-person session will include two 15 min. breaks) Forensic evidence, from DNA …
2025 IDS Forensic Science Education Series
IDS and the Mecklenburg Public Defender’s Office provide regular continuing education to dozens of NC criminal defense and parent attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists who attend the IDS Forensic Science Education Series. In 2025, we will offer monthly 90-minute webinars on various aspects of forensic evidence. These webinars will take place typically at 12:30 pm on …
Defense Challenges to Firearms Evidence CLE
Free to attend in-person only CLE Brunswick County Courthouse Jan. 10, 2025 at 11 am Forensic Fridays Series is a six-part program held over the course of the next year and is sponsored by the 15th District Office of the Public Defender, in conjunction with Indigent Defense Services. This free CLE series is open to …
Forensic Webinars Wrap Up for 2024
In collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office, IDS just completed its fifth consecutive year of offering FREE, regular continuing education to criminal defense attorneys, investigators and mitigation specialists across North Carolina. In 2024, a total of 15 sessions of the IDS Forensic Science Education Series were offered. Participants who took advantage of each session in …
Smith v. Arizona Comes to NC
As regular readers know, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Smith v. Arizona, 602 U.S. 779 (2024), this past June. The decision undercut the reasoning used by North Carolina courts to justify the practice of permitting substitute analysts to offer an independent opinion about the forensic report of another, nontestifying analyst (as discussed here and here). Until this week, no …
Come read with us!
The Forensic Book Club is starting its second book and will meet virtually to discuss on Feb. 10 at 7 pm. We hope you’ll join us. We are a group of defenders, scientists, one prosecutor, one ombudsperson, and a judge! The next book we’ll be discussing is Blood, Powder, and Residue: How Crime Labs Translate …
Defending Sex Offense Cases
Live webinar presented by Susan Seahorn, J.D.Nov. 7, 2024, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated This presentation is designed for defenders who handle sex offense cases. It will provide an overview of the unique challenges these cases present, including navigating sensitive subject matter, addressing the public stigma associated with sex crimes, and understanding the legal …
New Report: Wrongful Convictions in North Carolina
On October 2, 2024, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law marked International Wrongful Convictions Day – a day designed to raise awareness of the causes and remedies of wrongful convictions and to shed light on the tremendous harms wrongful convictions have on individuals, their families, and communities. Since 1989, 75 people have been …