A 6-1 decision from the N.C. Supreme Court reverses the N.C. Court of Appeals and reinstates a DWI conviction in a 2009 Pamlico County case. The state’s highest court ruled that a state trooper had a “reasonable suspicion” to stop driver Kevin Earl Griffin when Griffin stopped in the middle of the roadway and attempted to turn before reaching a traffic checkpoint. The dissent in the case contends that Griffin’s turn was legal and that the evidence is unclear about whether Griffin was attempting to evade the checkpoint.
by Mitch Kokai
Senior Political Analyst, John Locke Foundation