North Carolina Supreme Court Decisions

Founded in 1799, the North Carolina Supreme Court is located in Raleigh. It holds jurisdiction over questions of law presented by cases in lower courts and proceedings in administrative agencies. The Court also has developed the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct, which provides seven canons to guide the actions of judges throughout the state. The Code emphasizes impartiality, independence, transparency, and other values that preserve public trust in the judiciary.

Seven justices currently serve on the North Carolina Supreme Court, which has fluctuated in size at various points throughout its history. To become a justice, a candidate must be an attorney who is no older than 71. North Carolina imposes a mandatory retirement age on justices, who must retire before the last day of the month in which they turn 72. Justices are chosen through elections in even-numbered years. These elections recently became partisan in 2018, which means that the party affiliation of the candidate appears on the ballot. In 2015, the legislature passed a law that would have replaced these competitive elections with retention elections. However, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a lower court that struck down this law as unconstitutional, leaving the current system in place.

If a vacancy arises in the middle of a justice’s term, the Governor of North Carolina will appoint a replacement. That justice must run in the first election that occurs at least 60 days after the vacancy arose to retain their seat. Each justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court serves an eight-year term, and the Chief Justice serves in that capacity for the full eight years. Voters determine the Chief Justice in an election, in contrast to the procedures used in most states. The North Carolina Constitution provides that the term of any justice begins on January 1 after they are elected or reelected.

Browse Opinions From the North Carolina Supreme Court
Recent Decisions From the North Carolina Supreme Court
Value Health Solutions, Inc. v. Pharmaceutical Research Associates, Inc.  
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 100A22

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal from the orders and opinions entered in December 2019, February 2020, May 2020, and April 2021 by the superior court after the case was designated a mandatory complex business case, the Supreme Court…

State v. Hicks  
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 136PA22

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing Defendant's second-degree murder conviction, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support a jury finding that Defendant was the aggressor…

State v. Johnson
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 197PA20-2
State v. Richardson  
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 272A14

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the jury verdict that Defendant was guilty of the first-degree murder of a young child as well as of first-degree kidnapping, sexual offense with a child and felony child abuse inflicting…

Sound Rivers, Inc. v. N.C. Dep't of Environmental Quality  
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 306A20

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the administrative law judge (ALJ) from the Office of Administrative Hearings affirming the decision of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water…

State v. Abbitt  
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 334A21

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed a portion of the decision of the court of appeals upholding the trial court's ruling that Defendants' proffered evidence that speculatively imputed blame for the charged offenses to other…

State v. McKoy  
Date: September 1, 2023
 Docket Number: 71A22

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals upholding Defendant's voluntary manslaughter conviction after determining that if the trail court erred in refusing to admit certain cell phone evidence the…

State v. Bradley
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 105A22
Potts v. KEL, LLC
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 165A22
In re J.M.  
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 200PA21

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the judgment of the trial court entering an order removing reunification with Parents from the permanent plan as to their two children, holding…

In re J.U.  
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 263PA21

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals vacating an adjudication of J.U. for simple assault and battery, holding that the juvenile petition supported each element of misdemeanor sexual battery. …

State v. Newborn  
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 330PA21

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals vacating Defendant's conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon because the State failed to obtain a separate indictment for that offense under N.C.…

State v. Gibbs  
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 402A21

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the opinion of the court of appeals reversing Defendant's conviction of drug-related charges arising out of an incident that occurred when law enforcement officers observed Defendant moving in…

Cryan v. Nat'l Council of YMCA  
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 424A21

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that the court of appeals did not abuse its discretion by issuing a writ of certiorari in this case and that the issuance of the writ of certiorari was the only issue for which the dissent set out…

Sprouse v. Turner Trucking Co.  
Date: June 16, 2023
 Docket Number: 51A22

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the court of appeals and reinstated the opinion and award filed by the North Carolina Industrial Commission in favor of Plaintiff following a tractor-trailer accident in which…

The opinions published on Justia State Caselaw are sourced from individual state court sites. These court opinions may not be the official published versions, and you should check your local court rules before citing to them. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site, or the information linked to on the state site.
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