On Tuesday, the Fourth Circuit issued an important opinion in United States v. Canada, No. 22-4519, holding that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) (the “felon in possession” statute) is facially
Continue Reading Fourth Circuit: Felon-in-Possession Statute Upheld under Bruen and Another ACCA Violent Felony Waves Goodbye
The four civil cases decided by the Supreme Court on 15 December 2023 hang together by a focus on minimalism and, in three of them, dissenting opinions by Justice Earls. Based on the current composition of the Supreme Court, this minimalist approach, with a dissent, may be a harbinger of what to expect from the Supreme Court in the future.
Continue Reading A Majority Court and a Dissenting Justice: A Glimpse into the Future?
Before filing a complaint, make sure you have the correct name of your plaintiff. Otherwise, when you amend the complaint to add the correct plaintiff, you may lose the benefit of the relation back doctrine.
Continue Reading Court of Appeals Emphasizes Importance of Identifying the Proper Plaintiff
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
Beth and Matt’s treatise, North Carolina Appellate Practice and Procedure, is finally available! Published by LexisNexis in both print and online versions, the treatise represents the culmination of
Continue Reading North Carolina’s Very Own Appellate Practice Treatise is Now Available!
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
Last Friday was a blockbuster appellate day for the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Not only did it effectively declare an appellate jurisdiction statute unconstitutional (see Matt’s blog post
Continue Reading Supreme Court Reverses Court of Appeals Application of Appellate Rule 2
Generally speaking, an appeal stops all proceedings at the trial court level until the appeal concludes. However, as we have previously blogged (here, here, here, and
Continue Reading The Court of Appeals Again Recognizes the Trial Court’s Jurisdiction to Decide the Appealability of Interlocutory Orders When Deciding Whether the § 1-294 Stay Applies
Savvy practitioners know that some post-trial motions toll the deadline for filing a notice of appeal, but motions brought under Rule 60 of the Rules of Civil Procedure do not
Continue Reading Are Certain Rule 60 Orders Unappealable?