Thirty years ago, Justice Scalia famously described the Supreme Court’s Lemon test as “some ghoul in a late-night horror movie that repeatedly sits up in its grave and shuffles abroad
Continue Reading Just in Time for Halloween: Has the Specter of Viar Returned?
When prospective Appellants face a deadline for filing a Notice of Appeal, it is imperative that they know how many days, and which days, to count.
Continue Reading Whoever Said “Don’t Count the Days, Make the Days Count,” Must Not Have Needed to File a Notice of Appeal
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of North Carolina published an order amending Appellate Rule 26. New Appellate Rule 26 permits appellate documents filed in the trial court using Odyssey’s e-filing
Continue Reading Appellate Rule Amendment: Service of Appellate Documents in the Trial Court Using Odyssey
In its opinions issued on February 21, 2023, the NC Court of Appeals focused on how appellants must preserve their right to appeal issues if they want access to the appellate courts.
Continue Reading There’s No Appeal Without the Right to Appeal
The Court of Appeals’ latest batch of opinions includes several reminders about the importance of proving that appellate jurisdiction is proper in an appellant’s opening brief. Not in a conclusory
Continue Reading Relying on a Motion to Dismiss Response to Address Appellate Jurisdiction Arguments? Maybe Don’t Count on It
Writer and futurist Alvin Toffler cautioned, “You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” Today’s
Continue Reading Avoiding Big Problems with Small Details: Protecting Sensitive Information and Including the “Littlest Big” Detail With Notices of AppealUnder Appellate Rule 10, the general rule is that appellate courts only decide issues properly raised, argued, and decided in the trial tribunal. But exceptions to this general rule exist
Continue Reading Supreme Court Upholds Constitutionality of Another Error Preservation Statute
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many changes in the legal profession over the last 10 months. Those receiving the most focus have been, for obvious reasons, things like remote proceedings
Continue Reading How Important Is Oral Argument In The Fourth Circuit?
The recent opinion of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in M.E. v. T.J., No. COA18-1045 has more twists than a Chubby Checker look-alike contest. The opinion is
Continue Reading Has the Court of Appeals Unfriended Its Amicus?
Those who have known me for any length of time know that for more than a decade I have really, really wanted the Supreme Court to give appellate practitioners clarification
Continue Reading Like Sands Through the Hourglass: Supreme Court Revises Transcript-Related Rules