In delinquency court, we often rely heavily on the statutes in the Juvenile Code to argue our position and persuade our judges to see things our way. But it’s no secret that the Code has gray areas and gaps that make the Grand Canyon look like a hairline fracture. That’s where case law comes in to play as a tool to help sway the opinion of the Court and make a ruling in our favor. There is an art to arguing case law beyond having looked up and read the cases. Using the facts

Can you believe that the last appellate decision for juvenile delinquency cases was back in December of 2022? I wrote about the three opinions in January and it had been quiet ever since... until now! Last month, the Court of Appeals issued an opinion on a Juvenile First-Degree Murder case originating in Buncombe County, and the NC Supreme Court issued its opinion for in re: J.U., for which I had written an earlier blog about the appellate defender’s office preparing for or