Updated 12/16/2020

Chief Justice Cheri Beasley issued an order extending Emergency Directives 2–5, 8–15, 18, and 20–22 in response to the public health threat posed by the COVID-19 outbreak. North Carolina Courts will postpone non-essential, in-person court proceedings for 30 days, beginning Monday, December 14.

Chief Beasley issued a new Order dated May 21, 2020. Some of the main points are as follows:

• Filing deadlines for criminal matters are extended until July 31.
• Filings due pursuant to statutes of limitation or repose are extended until July 31. 
• Filings and actions due in civil matters that had been previously extended are due June 1. 
• No session of court may be scheduled if it would result in the public being crowded into courtrooms or waiting in close proximity without social distancing. 
• Senior Resident Superior Court Judges are directed to have courtroom seating and all areas where lines form marked with six-foot intervals.
• They must also ensure that public areas of the courthouse are cleaned throughout the day and that hand sanitizer is provided at every entrance and exit. 
• Jury trials are postponed through at least the end of July.
• Senior Resident Superior Court Judges are also directed to assess local court facilities to determine whether juries can be convened with social distancing. If not, they must secure alternate facilities for jury trials. 

​There is no filing fee to file a Motion and Order to extend time to Answer a lawsuit in North Carolina. This makes it a good practice to go ahead and file an extension of time in every lawsuit, but especially for credit card lawsuits as negotiating a settlement usually takes longer than 30 days and you certainly do not want to miss a deadline to file an Answer and lose by default!

At fault drivers often receive a traffic citation for an accident adding insult to injury. Some of the following are the most common tickets issued as a result of an accident:

• Failure to reduce speed
• Failure to yield
• Driving left of center
• Unsafe movement
• Red light violation
• Exceeding safe speed
• Reckless driving
• Failure to report accident
• Hit and Run

The "Driving after Consuming" charge only applies to those under age 21, and does not require any actual impairment due to alcohol. In fact any BAC of 0.01 or above can result in the charge. Someone under age 21 can be charged with both DWI and driving after consuming if they were in fact impaired. A DWI charge is basically automatic for a BAC of 0.08 or above. Each charge for first time offenders is a misdemeanor with similar consequences despite DWI having its own special sentencing guidelines.

​Although currently illegal, North Carolina seems to propose legislation to make weed legal on an annual basis. The latest attempt is NC Senate Bill 58 that would decriminalize possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Those convicted in the past would even be eligible to go back and have their record expunged. WSOC TV 9 in Charlotte recently did an interview with NC House Bill 766 legislature sponsors who spoke of the need to unclog the jails with people charged with possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Even though several states including Washington. DC have decriminalized marijuana in some capacity it is still technically illegal under federal law. At the moment the federal government appears to see the writing on the wall and is simply choosing to not interfere with states that have chosen to decriminalize personal use. Because of long standing federal law that could be enforced at any moment many banks refuse to work with pot dispensaries and hence most operate as a cash only business. In fact there is actually bipartisan support for the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act which would essentially allow states to decide the fact of marijuana within their borders. Both President Trump and Attorney General William Barr have signaled support for the legislation. Passage of this may embolden many states to act that were hesitant to openly defy federal law.