North Carolina

Weekly Briefs: Skirts-only dress code gets rehearing; ex-judge reprimanded for ‘sexual innuendo’

En banc 4th Circuit will rehear school dress-code case The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, has granted an en banc rehearing to consider a challenge to a skirts-and-dresses-only dress code for girls. A 4th Circuit panel ruled in August that the girls attending the Charter Day…

Oct 22, 2021 4:07 PM CDT

Law firms team up to encourage racial equity and economic mobility in the Carolinas

Two dozen BigLaw, regional and local law firms have joined together to form the Carolinas Social Impact Initiative, a new effort that seeks to tackle systemic racism in the region.

Sep 3, 2021 9:47 AM CDT

This online platform aims to help pro se litigants with complex civil cases

Unlike many other technological tools for pro se litigants, its creators say Courtroom5 is particularly well suited to help people with complex civil matters and can be utilized by consumers nationwide.

Aug 18, 2021 9:14 AM CDT

School dress codes mandating skirts for girls may violate Title IX, 4th Circuit rules

Sex-specific school dress codes may violate federal education law, a federal appeals court has ruled in a challenge to a charter school’s skirts-only dress code for girls.

Aug 10, 2021 12:04 PM CDT

Woman went to law school so she could help fight for her transgender daughter’s rights

Katie Jenifer decided someone had to fight for her transgender daughter and decided she was the person for the job.

Jul 29, 2021 9:13 AM CDT

Citing lack of evidence, prosecutor drops summons against appeals judge accused of nearly hitting protester

A specially appointed prosecutor won’t be pursuing a case against a North Carolina appeals judge who's accused of nearly hitting a Black Lives Matter protester with his SUV.

Jun 15, 2021 10:52 AM CDT

In New York, a 7-year-old is arrested for rape; should the age for juvenile prosecutions be raised?

Children in New York can be charged as juvenile delinquents beginning at age 7, which explains why a boy of that age could be charged with rape in March in upstate Brasher Falls, New York.

Jun 4, 2021 12:24 PM CDT

Protester accuses appeals judge of nearly hitting her with SUV; his lawyer says video supports defense

A summons issued Friday has ordered a North Carolina appeals judge to answer a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after a Black Lives Matter protester claimed that he was driving a state-issued SUV that nearly hit her and other protesters.

May 18, 2021 12:56 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: $75M verdict for exonerated half brothers; surprise at high-profile lawyer’s disbarment

Jurors award $75M to exonerated half brothers Jurors in Raleigh, North Carolina, awarded $75 million Friday to two half brothers exonerated in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl after DNA evidence pointed to a convicted murderer as the perpetrator. The brothers, Henry McCollum and Leon Brown, had spent…

May 17, 2021 3:12 PM CDT

District attorney is removed from office under rarely used state law

A North Carolina district attorney was removed from office Tuesday in a process that began with an affidavit filed by a grassroots group of victims’ families.

Apr 30, 2021 2:01 PM CDT

As some jury trials resume, juror shortages create problems; one court sees a 5% yield on summonses

As jury trials resume in several states and continue in others, finding jurors willing to show up is a problem.

Feb 18, 2021 12:19 PM CST

Meet Sidney Powell, the conspiracy-minded lawyer who vowed to ‘release the kraken’ in election suits

Lawyer Sidney Powell, who promised to “release the kraken” in lawsuits challenging election results, got a jump-start on her career, earning her college diploma in less than two years and becoming a federal prosecutor at a young age.

Dec 1, 2020 10:21 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Another Trump campaign loss in court; donor sues to get back $2.5M

Top Pennsylvania court tosses challenge to mail-in ballot law Republican plaintiffs waited too long to file a lawsuit challenging a 2019 Pennsylvania law that allowed no-excuse mail-in voting, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled late Saturday. The court tossed the suit with prejudice. (The Washington Post, Politico, How Appealing) Donor sues…

Nov 30, 2020 4:17 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Trump campaign eschews conspiracy-minded lawyer; New Jersey law protects judges’ privacy

Trump campaign distances from lawyer Sidney Powell The Trump campaign has distanced itself from lawyer Sidney Powell after she made unsupported claims that voting machines had been rigged and Republican officials in Georgia were part of the scam. “Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own,” the campaign said in…

Nov 23, 2020 4:30 PM CST

Immigration lawyer who asserted a right to text in courtroom loses appeal of conviction

Updated: An immigration lawyer who refused to stop texting in the courtroom lost her appeal Wednesday before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia.

Nov 19, 2020 11:10 AM CST