Federal judges in North Carolina and around the country routinely hand down harsher sentences to African American criminal defendants than they do to white offenders, according to a report released by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. The Demographic Differences in Sentencing report, which was published by the independent judicial branch agency on Nov. 14, revealed that black men get sentences that are 19.1 percent longer on average than white males convicted of the same offenses. The USSC report … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2017
Dividing retirement accounts in divorce: Avoid pitfalls
Many couples in North Carolina try to handle their own divorces without legal help. While couples are able to get divorced on their own, they should be careful when they have retirement accounts and pensions that need to be divided. Making mistakes when dividing retirement accounts and pensions can be very costly for people who are divorcing. If they simply withdraw the amounts that should go to their spouses, the people may face huge tax bills and early withdrawal penalties in the thousands of … [Read more...]
Reasons that couples get divorced
There are many factors that may contribute to divorces in North Carolina. One of the leading causes of divorce is infidelity. While some couples are able to overcome cheating, others may not be able to do so. Some marriages may disintegrate after a single instance of cheating while others may be able to move past multiple instances. Money problems also are a leading cause of divorce. In addition to stress over finances, people who have incompatible spending styles may also have problems. When … [Read more...]
Should I take the breathalyzer test or not?
One moment, you're headed home from work, errands or a social event. The next, you're standing at the side of the road, trying to convince a law enforcement officer that it's safe and legal for you to be behind the wheel. Impairment while driving can put anyone else on the road at risk, so it's no surprise that North Carolina law enforcement officials do their best to deter impaired driving. That can mean a lot of frustration and inconvenience for law-abiding citizens. You know you're not drunk … [Read more...]
Black people may be treated more harshly by prosecutors
North Carolina residents may have heard that black people are disproportionately charged with crimes. A new study shows that black people also face worse treatment by prosecutors and the courts after they have been charged with criminal offenses. A researcher at the Loyola Law School analyzed information that he gleaned from 30,807 cases in Wisconsin that were filed over a seven-year period. All of the cases were misdemeanor offenses. The researcher looked at the resolutions of the cases based … [Read more...]
Online dating may result in lower divorce rates
Many residents of North Carolina have used or continue to use online dating apps in order to find their partners. While these apps have a reputation for adding to the hook-up culture, a study shows that they may actually positively affect marriages. According to researchers at the University of Essex and the University of Vienna, married couples who met through online dating apps are less likely to end their relationships than are people who met through traditional means. In a study of 19,131 … [Read more...]
Incidents that may indicate the need for a divorce
When people are struggling with a decision about whether or not to divorce, there might be incidents that push them toward ending the marriage. One of those incidents might be a Charlotte spouse's third arrest for driving under the influence. Although the spouse may have promised many times to get treatment for alcoholism, the change in behavior may have only been temporary and the spouse might have begun drinking again. On the third arrest, the partner may decide that the marriage must end … [Read more...]
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