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Internet sales tax bill receives bipartisan support

May 16, 2013

Last week, the Senate voted on the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, a bill that would require online and mail-order businesses to comply with the same tax withholding requirements as in-state brick-and-mortar businesses.  The bill had strong bipartisan support and was passed by a vote of sixty-nine to twenty-seven in the Senate.  However, the bill may face opposition in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, since some consider the bill a tax increase. Yet, internet and [...]

The Government is here to help you keep your eyes on the road

May 16, 2013

Ronald Reagan famously decried an over-bearing government, saying that the “nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”  Well, the distracted driving laws enacted by states over the past few years have plainly failed to be as effective as intended, and the federal government is now here to help drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. A number of actions can divert a driver’s attention away from [...]

A Tradition of Service – Judge J. Rich Leonard

May 15, 2013

Editor’s Note:  Judge Leonard has been appointed as the next dean of Campbell’s School of Law, effective July 15, 2013.  The Campbell Law Observer and the Campbell Law Review are pleased to honor our new dean, Judge Rich Leonard, with the following article by Chief Judge Doub.  None of us were greatly surprised at the opportunity to become Dean of the Campbell Law School recently afforded to Judge J. Rich Leonard.  What a great opportunity and what a perfect fit for such a talented [...]

Letter from the Editors

May 15, 2013

In 1979, the Campbell Law Observer was founded as one of only two legal publications at Campbell Law School, and the legal periodical provided a media platform–albeit entirely in paper format and produced semi-annually–to address emerging issues in law and public policy for the legal discourse community in North Carolina. The Founding Editor Hugh Franklin created a plaque to recognize the service and dedications of successive Editors of the Law Observer.  When we assumed the [...]

Prove it! Musings on advocacy, evidence, and the problems of proof at trial: North Carolina’s Police Officer Exception to the Hearsay Rule

May 8, 2013

As a law professor, I’m always looking for interesting cases from which to create exam questions, both multiple choice and essay.  Sometimes the cases are rather straightforward and illustrate the application of a rule of evidence quite well.  These usually make great cases for multiple choice questions.  Other times they are complicated and nuanced and are much closer calls on the outcome.  These make great essay questions.  Then there are those that simply get the law wrong.  They, [...]

Disclaim and Disclose: Navigating the “Blawgosphere” without Violating the Rules of Ethics

April 25, 2013

People routinely use the Internet for various functions.  Whether personal, professional, or political, web use undoubtedly plays a prominent role in the everyday lives of many Americans.  As is often the case, however, with popularity often comes problems.  Turn on the news, click on a news website, or tap the news app on your smartphone, and you likely will find a story involving the use – or misuse – of technology and social media. In March of 2011, Virginia attorney Horace Hunter [...]

Amending North Carolina Rule of Evidence 103

April 21, 2013

Rule 103 of the North Carolina Rules of Evidence contains nearly identical language to the same Federal Rule of Evidence prior to its amendment in 2000.  Originally set to be effective on October 1, 2003, the General Assembly amended former Rule 103 by adding the following language to subsection (a)(2): “Once the court makes a definitive ruling on the record admitting or excluding evidence, either at or before trial, a party need not renew an objection or offer of proof to preserve a claim [...]

Voter ID Laws – Restoration of Voter Integrity or a Constitutional Violation?

April 15, 2013

With the first super majority the Republican Party has seen in the North Carolina General Assembly in over a century and the lack of a Democratic veto power in the Governor seat, the state is sure to see a change in its political agenda and legislation in the coming years.  Among the proposed legislation, one hot topic in particular has been Bill 589, otherwise known as the Voter ID Bill. The Voter ID Bill was proposed on April 4, 2013, and is a more lenient version of a similar bill that was [...]

Prove it! Musings on advocacy, evidence, and the problems of proof at trial: Getting the First and Last Word

April 13, 2013

I doubt there’s a prosecutor or plaintiff’s lawyer in the state who would give up the opportunity to be the last lawyer to address the jury in a contested case.  Getting the last word is important.  The principle of recency tells us the people tend to remember what they hear last.  What better way to send the jury into the deliberation room that with your powerful closing argument ringing in their ears? But there’s another principle of persuasion that seems to get overlooked in many [...]

Rethinking the Role of the National Labor Relations Board in the Workplace

April 10, 2013

In 1935, desperate to find a way to fairly and efficiently resolve labor disputes, Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York introduced a bill in Congress.  The bill, soon to become known as the Wagner Act, was signed into law in July of that year.  The Wagner Act created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency that still exists today.  One of the original purposes of the NLRB was to be an enforcement mechanism for protecting certain employee rights, such as the [...]

Blue Lights to Black Robes? The Problems with House Bill 397

April 8, 2013

 The North Carolina House of Representatives recently filed a controversial bill that would allow superior court clerks, magistrates, sheriffs with at least ten years of experience, and law enforcement officers with 25 years of experience to become District Court judges.  House Bill 397, known as the “Expand District Judge Eligibility” bill, is sponsored primarily by Justin Burr of Albemarle, Jeff Collins of Rocky Mount, and Mike Stone of Sanford.   The bill rewrites Section 22 of [...]

An Ethical Guide for Lawyers in the Realm of (New) Technology

April 4, 2013

Note from the Editors:  Recently, the Campbell Law Observer hosted a write-on competition to recruit new staff writers.  Each student was to discuss the role of changing technology in the legal profession.  Below, you will find the article that received the second-highest score from the editorial board.  For better or for worse, technology continues to change the legal landscape on an immense scale.  Technology has transformed the practice of law into something that would be unrecognizable [...]

Makers of Four Loko Reconfigure Cans in Settlement with FTC

April 2, 2013

Four Loko is a fruit-flavored, alcoholic drink popular on college campuses because of its low cost and high alcohol content.  The beverage was invented by three Ohio State University students in 2005 and has been nicknamed “blackout in a can.”  In the past few years, the beverage has received extensive media attention following several alcohol-related incidents. In October 2010, nine college students in Washington State were hospitalized after drinking Four Loko.  Officials initially [...]

What You Do Not Know Will Only Hurt You: The Risks and Rewards of Technology in the Legal Profession

March 26, 2013

Note from the Editors:  Recently, The Campbell Law Observer hosted a write-on competition to recruit new staff writers.  Each student was to discuss the role of changing technology in the legal profession.  Below, you will find the article that received the highest score from the editorial board.  Next week, we will publish another student’s write-on prompt in an attempt to display two perspectives. Good intentions can sometimes lead to grave consequences.  Situations arise every day in [...]

Fifth-Graders Have Free Speech Rights, Too!

March 21, 2013

 Until recently, most free speech cases concerning students have been at the middle school level and above.  While courts have made it clear that students do not shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate, courts have also made it clear that an elementary school student does not necessarily share the same rights as a middle school or high school student.  Defining free speech rights of elementary students can prove daunting, but many courts favor the conclusion that viewpoint discrimination [...]
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