All cases decided by the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court
after 1998 are available through a website maintained by the Administrative Office of the Courts, the
North Carolina agency that is responsible for making sure that NC courtrooms run smoothly and
efficiently.
This is a link to appellate opinions on the NC court system’s website:
https://www.nccourts.gov/documents/appellate-court-opinions
Find a case that interests you, using the keyword search or by entering a
year and choosing an opinion to review. What is the name of the case that
you found, and what is the main dispute in the case? Which court is hearing
the case – the NC Court of Appeals or the NC Supreme Court?
The case is called State of North Carolina V. Karen Nicole Keller and it was heard by the NC
Court of Appeals. Keller (the defendant) was served 4 felony charges regarding child abuse and
inflicting serious bodily harm. She argues that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to enter
judgment for felonious child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury because the indictment failed
to allege a “serious bodily injury.” The court disagreed and reviews an indictment alleged to be
facially invalid de novo.