• John Locke Update

    New rules won’t fix the redistricting process

    posted February 27, 2020 by Mike Schietzelt
    “Redistricting is a lot like completing a homework assignment, turning it in, and only then being told what the assignment was.” Brent Woodcox, special counsel at the General Assembly, drew…
  • Policy Position

    Criminal Law Reform

    posted February 4, 2020 by Mike Schietzelt
    North Carolina’s criminal code is hardly a code at all. Crimes are scattered across more than 140 chapters of the General Statutes, thousands of pages of the administrative code, and…
  • John Locke Update

    Crimes That Make You Go Hmm

    posted October 15, 2019 by Mike Schietzelt
    North Carolina’s criminal code is a complex beast. As we’ve mentioned time and time again, crimes are tucked all over the place. There’s a crime in more than 140…
  • John Locke Update

    Lawmakers Should Slow the Growth of N.C.’s Criminal Code

    posted June 18, 2019 by Mike Schietzelt
    North Carolina’s criminal code is a muddled, archaic monstrosity. The laws that govern criminal behavior are often unclear, encouraging senseless litigation and allowing bad actors to slip through the cracks.
  • John Locke Update

    The Shortsightedness of the Long Arm of the Law

    posted May 16, 2019 by Mike Schietzelt
    Criminal convictions are expensive. Court fees, fines, and other costs add up quickly and leave a defendant with crushing debt. And the collateral consequences of a criminal record can be…