Local courts have experienced difficulty maintaining stability of operations during the current Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 the Courts were all but shut down for two months, causing an immense backlog of cases. The District Attorney dismissed a lot of misdemeanors because of the backlog and the nearly impossible task of scheduling the cases that needed to be scheduled while also observing important public health guidelines for distancing. In my opinion, these efforts leave much to be desired because of off-hand, seemingly arbitrary approach to dismissals- attorneys were not notified, and often times lawyers and defendants showed up to court not knowing the case had been dismissed. Also, in my opinion, too many petty crimes were not dismissed. There have definitely been days that seemed like surefire superspreader events, where the halls of the Justice Center were so crowded that there was simply no way to maintain appropriate distance.  However, the Courts and the District Attorney have had to deal with a very difficult, unprecedented situation. Never let me be accused of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good!

In mid-December, then-Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Cheri Beasley ordered the courts to close for 30 days. After her replacement took office, he ordered that the decision after expiration of the 30 days would be up to local court authorities. On January 12, 2021, the Wake county courts authorities issued a new memorandum outlining court scheduling for the coming months. Notably, District Court criminal proceedings (except in custody, domestic violence, and DWI cases) would essentially be suspended until March 1, and any cases previously scheduled during that time would be rescheduled. Here is a link to that memo.

You can find your North Carolina Court date on the web

Anyone who needs to know their court date can go to the courts website, nccourts.gov, click on  "find my court date" on the front page, and look up their case. Here is a link to search by name. Also, and I highly recommend this, a person may "subscribe" to their case by entering the county and case number and indicating whether they prefer text or email notifications. This will ensure that they receive a notification any time their case is rescheduled, and can also serve as a reminder so that court dates are not forgotten.

Facing criminal allegations can be scary and confusing; doing so without proper representation is borderline reckless. Give me a call if you want to discuss your Wake County misdemeanor, or more serious cases anywhere in the state.