Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “A past conviction is keeping me from finding work what can I do?” A recent and worrisome trend among some police departments should have criminals deleting their Facebook and Instagram accounts. News out of New York indicates that officers in the NYPD are…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Is there more than one way for police to convict a DWI?” In light of the recent controversial decision in the Trayvon Martin case, many people have been discussing the self-defense laws on the books in other states and some may wonder what…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “Can the police search my car without a warrant?” Many people know that the U.S. Constitution affords criminal defendants the right to confront their accusers. Though that seems clear enough, the North Carolina Supreme Court has recently wrestled with the problem of what…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “A past conviction is keeping me from finding work what can I do?” Authorities say two individuals have been arrested for using phony prescriptions to get painkillers from pharmacies across North and South Carolina. The two individuals, Steven Rhodes and Heather DeYoung, were…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “If I simply intend to plead guilty, why do I need a lawyer?” A divided Supreme Court ruled in an important case last week that it is unconstitutional for judges to use current federal sentencing guidelines if they contain harsher penalties than the…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What is an expungement?” Though hunting is usually thought of as a low-key weekend activity among friends or family, a recent cases shows how in some cases it can turn into quite a serious matter. A federal judge in the Western District of…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “A past conviction is keeping me from finding work what can I do?” In an important divided criminal law decision released earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to say that silence can be used against defendants in certain circumstances. The…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What am I obligated to do if I’ve been pulled for Drinking and Driving?” According to a recent ACLU report, the State of North Carolina spent over $55 million enforcing marijuana possession laws in 2010. The civil rights group pointed out that not…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “What is an expungement?” A North Carolina man was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a Chihuahua dog this past week. According to local news reports, the 24-year-old man, Jeffrey Edward Bynner, was arrested at 12:41 a.m. and charged with “crimes against nature.”…
Attorney J. Bradley Smith answering the question: “A past conviction is keeping me from finding work what can I do?” A new criminal measure is getting attention in North Carolina as legislators consider changing a longstanding law which allows those over age 16 to be charged and prosecuted as adults.…