Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” Criminal law is complex. There are many crimes that can be committed under the same “type” of offense and there are different levels of severity for each crime. In North Carolina,…
Articles Posted in misdemeanor
Supreme Court Poised To Decide Several Important Criminal Cases
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question:”What is an expungement?” The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to have what many legal experts believe will be a blockbuster year, issuing a number of significant decisions. The docket appears packed with controversial and consequential cases. Last year the court was…
Does Flipping A Bird Count As Free Speech?
Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “How is social media evidence used in divorce proceedings?” When we think of arguments involving the First Amendment and free speech, we often conjure up images of brave people taking stands on important topics. There are a number of…
Plea Bargaining and Criminal Law
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question:”What is an expungement?” When most people think of the criminal justice system, they likely imagine something similar to an episode of Law & Order. Police officers testifying, prosecutors and defense attorneys arguing, judges slamming gavels and jurors listening in rapt attention.…
New York Governor Signs Law Criminalizing Use of Ticket-Buying Bots
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” If you’ve ever tried to buy tickets to a concert or other popular live event you understand the frustration felt by many. It can be downright impossible to get tickets to…
Are there any criminal implications of Trump’s groping?
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” Donald Trump has been all over newspapers and cable news in recent weeks and, though he generally loves media attention, he’d probably prefer it if he weren’t. A leaked tape of…
Criminal Disenfranchisement and Voting Rights: 2 Steps Forward, 3 Back
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question:”A past conviction is keeping me from finding work. What can I do?” Virginia’s Supreme Court ruled this July that its governor’s decision to restore voting rights to over 200,000 felons violates the state’s constitution. The court ruled 4 to 3 that…
North Carolina Man Charged In False Clown Sighting Incident
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What should parents tell their children to do when interacting with police officers?” If you’ve been following the news closely you’ve likely seen articles about a recent rash of clown sightings. The stories have popped up everywhere, in North Carolina, Minnesota,…
Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and the criminal implications of secret recordings
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” For pop culture junkies the Taylor Swift/Kanye West feud dates back a long way, to 2009, to be precise. It was then that Kanye stormed the MTV VMA stage, interrupting Swift’s…
Aluminum-Covered Bank Robbers Foiled by Security Cameras
Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” A busted pair of bank robbers in Brazil had resorted to an interesting method of disguise for their attempted heist: the duo covered themselves head to toe in aluminum foil for their early-morning…