Last week, the Court of Appeals returned to a general question that this blog has addressed before: When is a Notice of Appeal Filing Deadline or Requirement Jurisdictional? In this
Continue Reading Can the Cart (Appeal) Go Before the Horse (Entry of Order Being Appealed)?
Appellate Defender

The Trooper and the Hat—A Fable for Our Time
Although the case involving North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Thomas Wetherington appears to invite smiles because it focuses on his uniform hat (see “Side Bar” below), in fact it addresses…
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Supreme Court Reaffirms That Non-Constitutional Sentencing Arguments Are Automatically Preserved for Appellate Review
In October 2018, I gave a CLE presentations with (now recently sworn in) Judge Allegra Collins: “Life Preservers on the Titanic: Issues Not Properly Preserved for Appellate Review.” Part…
Continue Reading Supreme Court Reaffirms That Non-Constitutional Sentencing Arguments Are Automatically Preserved for Appellate Review

Appellate Public Defender Needed in Charlotte
Way back when I was a law clerk, I knew I wanted to be an appellate lawyer. I asked my Judge how to go about making that happen. She told…
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Help Wanted: Office of the Appellate Defender Adding to Its Indigent Appeals Roster
Good appellate lawyers are in demand. The Appellate Defender is looking for a few good appellate attorneys to add to the Office of the Appellate Defender’s appointed appellate counsel roster. …
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