Earlier this month, the state supreme court rejected a defendant’s challenge to his conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon pursuant to an indictment that failed to comport with a statutory pleading requirement. That case, State v. Newborn, 330PA21, ___ N.C. ___ (June 16, 2023), is the latest in a decade of rulings determining that technical pleading defects do not deprive the trial court of jurisdiction. This post will review Newborn and consider its place among jurisprudence departing from the traditional view that a defective pleading fails to vest jurisdiction.
State v. Newborn. Cordero Newborn was indicted in a single indictment for three crimes: (1) possession of a firearm by a felon, (2) possession of a firearm with an altered or removed serial number, and (3) carrying a concealed weapon. The charges arose from a traffic stop in Haywood County. Newborn was pulled over for driving with a revoked license. The officer who stopped Newborn smelled marijuana, which Newborn admitted to recently smoking. Based on the smell and Newborn’s admission, officers searched his vehicle, discovering a pistol between the center console and driver’s seat.
Court of Appeals opinion. Newborn was convicted of all three charges at trial. On appeal, Newborn argued for the first time that the trial court lacked jurisdiction over the felon-in-possession charge because it was not contained in a separate indictment as required by G.S. 14-415.1(c). See id. (requiring that the indictment “be separate from any indictment charging . . . other offenses related to or giving rise to a charge under this section”). The Court of Appeals agreed, relying on its previous decision in State v. Wilkins, 225 N.C. App. 492 (2013), and vacated Newborn’s conviction. 279 N.C. App. 42, reversed, ___ N.C. ___ (2023) (discussed here).
Supreme Court opinion. The North Carolina Supreme Court reversed and instructed the Court of Appeals to reinstate the trial court’s judgment. The Supreme Court reasoned that the separate indictment requirement in G.S. 14-415.1(c) is not jurisdictional; thus the failure to comply with that requirement does not render an indictment fatally defective.
In reaching that conclusion, the Court relied upon its determination in State v. Brice, 370 N.C. 244 (2017) (discussed here), that the State’s failure to allege prior convictions in a separate indictment or separate count as required by G.S. 15A-928(b) did not deprive the trial court of jurisdiction. The Newborn Court interpreted the holding in Brice to extend beyond the particular pleading provision at issue there, stating that “[u]nder Brice, indictments that fail to comply with mandatory separate indictment statutes are not fatally defective and thus do not deprive the trial court of jurisdiction.” (Slip op. at 8).
The Newborn Court further noted that the purpose of an indictment is two-fold: (1) to provide a defendant with sufficient notice of the crimes with which he is charged such that he is able to prepare his defense and (2) to protect the defendant from double jeopardy. (Slip op. at 5, 8). An indictment satisfies those purposes when it alleges facts supporting the essential elements of the offense to be charged. (Slip op. at 5 (citing G.S. 15A-924(a)(5)’s requirement that an indictment “assert[] facts supporting every element of a criminal offense . . .. with sufficient precision clearly to apprise the defendant . . . of the conduct which is the subject of the accusation”)). The Court determined that the indictment charging Newborn met this standard and that to quash the indictment for failing to separately charge felon-in-possession would impermissibly elevate form over substance.
The dissent. Justice Morgan dissented in an opinion joined by Justice Earls. Justice Morgan distinguished Brice on the grounds that the Brice Court found that the violation of a provision of the Criminal Procedure Act – G.S. 15A-928 – did not render the indictment fatally defective. Newborn, was different, the dissent reasoned, as it required the Court to consider the State’s failure to comply with the very statute defining the underlying criminal offense and directing how it is to be charged.
What is the significance of Newborn? The obvious significance of Newborn is that felon-in-possession convictions obtained pursuant to multi-count indictments are not subject to jurisdictional challenge for failure to comply with the separate indictment requirement in G.S. 14-415.1(c). That said, the statutory requirement for a separate indictment remains in effect, and a defendant charged with possession of a firearm by a felon may object before the trial court to being tried for that offense pursuant to a multi-count indictment. Cf. G.S. 15A-924(e) (noting that upon motion of the defendant under G.S. 15A-952(b), the court must dismiss the charges in a pleading that fails to charge the defendant with a crime “in the manner required by subsection (a),” unless amendment is allowed). Thus, prosecutors should charge felon-in-possession separately to avoid having to amend an indictment or seek a new one.
More broadly, Newborn is the latest in a series of opinions placing the substance of a pleading over its form. I have already mentioned State v. Brice, which, like Newborn, required the Court to ascertain the import of a pleading that failed to separate a charge or allegation revealing the defendant’s criminal history. But the North Carolina Supreme Court’s recent rejection of jurisdictional challenges has encompassed other types of arguably-technical pleading defects. Thus, the Court has held that
- the failure to allege that a church is an entity capable of owning property did not render a larceny indictment fatally defective, see State v. Campbell, 368 N.C. 83 (2015),
- the failure to allege the full or proper legal name of the victim did not render a larceny indictment fatally defective, see State v. Brawley, 370 N.C. 626 (2018) (per curiam); State v. Spivey, 368 N.C. 739 (2016),
- the failure to specify the amount of money obtained did not render an indictment alleging obtaining property by false pretenses fatally defective, see State v. Mostafavi, 370 N.C. 681 (2018), and
- the failure to state an element of the offense did not render a citation fatally defective, see State v. Jones, 371 N.C. 548 (2018).
A hard line? The Court has, however, drawn a line at an indictment’s omission of an essential element. In State v. Rankin, 371 N.C. 885 (2018) (discussed here), the Court reiterated that this sort of omission deprives the court of jurisdiction. See id. at 894-95 (holding fatally defective an indictment for felony littering that failed to allege that the defendant was an unauthorized person who deposited refuse on land not designated by the State for such use). Chief Justice Martin (joined by then-Associate Justice Newby) dissented from the majority’s opinion in Rankin, writing that the “time has come to reconsider this antiquated approach to flawed indictments in light of the extensive statutory, constitutional, and conceptual changes in criminal procedure during the twentieth century.” 371 N.C. at 898 (Martin, C.J., dissenting).
State v. Singleton, 285 N.C. App. 630 (2022), discretionary review allowed, ___ N.C. ___ (March 1, 2023) is sure to test that line. I wrote a few weeks ago about Singleton, in which the Court of Appeals held that that the superior court lacked jurisdiction to try the defendant for rape because the indictment failed to allege that he knew or reasonably should have known the victim was physically helpless. The North Carolina Supreme Court has granted discretionary review, and could apply, overrule, or distinguish Rankin.
Stay tuned. We will be right back after the next set of important messages from our appellate courts.
Hello, sobat pengemar slot! Pernah denger istilah “raja slot? Kalau belum, siap-siap jatuh hati sama konsep ini. slot gaco adalah mesin slot yang sering memberi win. Yup, mesin-mesin ini bisa dibilang adalah andalannya buat membawa come back hasil. tapi, gimana sih caranya nemuin raja lot yang tepat? Santai Bro and Sis, kita beri santai saja di sini
Games tergacor waktu sekarang satu-satunya berada Indonesia hanya di yang menyediakan return terbesar
Daftar hanya di:
Informasi mengenai KING SLOT, Segera Daftar Bersama king selot terbaik dan terpercaya no satu di Indonesia. Boleh mendaftar melalui sini king slot serta memberikan hasil kembali yang paling tinggi saat sekarang ini hanyalah KING SLOT atau Raja slot paling gacor, gilak dan gaco saat sekarang di Indonesia melalui program return tinggi di kingselot serta pg king slot
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
situs slot terbaru
situs slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
slot terbaru
slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
asn88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama asn88.net
anjir88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama anjir88.asia
albaslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama albaslot88.asia
air88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama air88.bio
air88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama air88.asia
vavaslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vavaslot888.org
vavaslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vavaslot888.net
oborslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama oborslot888.org
oborslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama oborslot888.net
duniaslot777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama duniaslot777a.org
ayukbet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ayukbet88.org
ayukbet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ayukbet88.net
j888slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama j888slot.org
klikdewa88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama klikdewa88.net
klikdewa88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama klikdewa88.com
klikbet777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama klikbet777.info
klikbet777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama klikbet777.asia
gemoyslot999 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gemoyslot999.net
seroja888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama seroja888.net
seroja888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama seroja888.com
hoka88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hoka88.asia
dutaslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dutaslot88.com
buaya88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama buaya88.asia
buaya777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama buaya777.asia
zonavegas88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama zonavegas88.net
tongtoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tongtoto88.org
tongtoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tongtoto88.net
sista999 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sista999.org
mbokslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mbokslot88.org
mbokslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mbokslot88.net
pg king slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pgkingslot.org
holywing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama holywing88.asia
bolagila88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bolagila88.asia
dewalive88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dewalive88.biz
kputoto888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kputoto888.net
vio777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vio777.asia
nix777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nix777.net
nego88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nego88.net
nego777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nego777.com
marjan899 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama marjan899.com
marjan888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama marjan888.com
gcr88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gcr88.org
bosku77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bosku77.asia
gaco88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gaco88.asia
dijual88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dijual88.com
dijual88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dijual88.net
saritoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama saritoto88.com
gege888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gege888.net
exa88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama exa88.org
dower888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dower888.org
bos888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bos888.info
badabest888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama badabest888.com
ayamjago888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ayamjago888.net
vviavi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vviavi88.com
sydneycuan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sydneycuan88.com
gotocuan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gotocuan88.com
bank88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bank88.asia
agenplay888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama agenplay888.com
satelittogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama satelittogel88.net
hiutoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hiutoto88.net
hiutoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hiutoto88.com
kedai88slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kedai88slot.biz
nova12 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nova12.net
piktoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama piktoto88.net
zeuswin888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama zeuswin888.com
zoom88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama zoom88.info
asg88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama asg88.org
azkabet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama azkabet88.net
becak88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama becak88.biz
besitoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama besitoto88.com
bethoki88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bethoki88.biz
bibit88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bibit88.biz
bibit88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bibit88.info
bolago888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bolago888.net
boswin777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama boswin777.biz
cafe88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cafe88.info
cinta88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cinta88.biz
coki888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama coki888.com
cumi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cumi88.com
cumitoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cumitoto.com
darma888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama darma888.org
dewagacor888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dewagacor888.net
engkol888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama engkol888.info
garasislot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama garasislot88.biz
harumtoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama harumtoto.org
indo788 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama indo788.net
jenitoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jenitoto.com
joker18 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama joker18.net
juliet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama juliet88.net
jumbototo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jumbototo88.com
kaostogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kaostogel88.net
kaskus88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kaskus88.biz
kawin777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kawin777.biz
kinggacor88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kinggacor88.com
koboislot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama koboislot88.net
kputoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kputoto88.net
ribo888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ribo888.biz
kripto888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kripto888.biz
lebah77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama lebah77.asia
lebah7777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama lebah7777.com
legend888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama legend888.info