NC Criminal Law

Jacquelyn Greene on Tuesday, July 28th, 2026

Effective beginning with offenses committed on or after December 1, 2025, Part V. of Session law 2023-114 significantly revised North Carolina’s law governing capacity to proceed in delinquency cases. The changes included creation of new credentialing requirements for juvenile forensic evaluators and new procedures for appointing and paying those evaluators. The recently passed state budget makes changes to those appointment and payment procedures that will apply...

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If a defendant pleads guilty to an H or I felony in district court, is placed on probation, and is subsequently charged with violating that probation, the superior court has jurisdiction to hear the violation. But with the consent of the state and the defendant, the district court may hear the violation. G.S. 7A-271(e).

There is no double jeopardy bar to a second trial when a charge is dismissed because an indictment or other criminal pleading is fatally defective.

A misdemeanor statement of charges is a criminal pleading prepared by the prosecutor, charging a misdemeanor. A statement of charges is a type of pleading, but is not a form of process, and cannot be used to initiate a prosecution and compel the defendant to appear. See G.S. 15A-922(b)(1).

A defendant who is in custody has a Fifth Amendment right to counsel during an interrogation.

Improper venue is waivable, while improper jurisdiction ordinarily is not.