Assistant Public Defender Juan Zuluaga testified Monday that he was trying to zealously advocate for his client. A superior court judge ruled that he crossed the line.
Michael Hewlett
Michael Hewlett is a courts and law reporter for The Assembly. He was previously a legal affairs reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal and has won two Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Awards.
Posted inCourts & Justice
The Rare Jailing of an Attorney
On August 24, Guilford District Court Judge Ashley Watlington-Simms sent Assistant Public Defender Juan Zuluaga to jail for five days for criminal contempt. Zuluaga appears to be only the second North Carolina attorney incarcerated for such an offense in the past five years.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Judge Holds Public Defender in Contempt
A Guilford County assistant public defender is in jail after a district court judge found him in contempt of court. On Monday, he was sentenced to a week in jail.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Talking Police, Social Media, and Purpose
The Assembly’s Joe Killian discusses his recent story about the controversy over the Greensboro Police Department’s use of social media.
Posted inCourts & Justice
A Tangled Legal Hell
The legal battle over a judge confiscating a reporter’s notes and issuing a gag order has grown increasingly Kafkaesque.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Invited Guests Only
In Greensboro, a judge denies a request for the audio recording of her seizing a reporter’s notes.
