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?
Is there institutional disharmony in the Fourth Circuit? That’s the question that one judge suggested, in a concurring opinion, that lawyers and judges might be asking after an en banc
Continue Reading Institutional Disharmony in the Fourth Circuit? Or Merely Patriotic Dissent?
North Carolina’s appellate statistician, Kenzie Rakes, has more numbers for us. Kenzie’s pie charts break down the outcomes from last year’s appeals to the Supreme Court. Which disposition was used
Continue Reading By the Numbers: 2016 Outcomes in Supreme Court Decisions
A party has an appeal of right to our Supreme Court from certain decisions of the Court of Appeals under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-30. The overwhelming majority of those
Continue Reading Yes, Virginia, Substantial Constitutional Questions Do Exist!
“Brevity is appreciated.” “A short brief can be very effective.” How many times have you heard appellate judges make statements like this about appellate briefs? While I can most certainly
Continue Reading Appellate Brief Brevity and Success On Appeal?
Jerry Hartzell recently published an article in the April 2014 issue of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice’s Trial Briefs. The article is entitled “Probability of Success on