Governor McCrory today signed into law HB59, which includes a statutory change to recording requirements before judges in ex parte Chapter 50B and 50C hearings.

We appreciate Governor McCrory's quick response to change House Bill 59. This change will help to more quickly provide emergency temporary relief for domestic violence victims.

At the request of the North Carolina Conference of Chief District Court Judges (NCCCDCJ), NCAOC's legislative team worked with a number of stakeholders to get this statute amended. In addition to NCCCDCJ, other stakeholders included the North Carolina Association of District Court Judges and its Board of Governors (NCADCJ), all three branches of government, and the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Special thanks to Chief District Court Judge Reagan Miller (NCCCDCJ president) for working on this effort and to Chief District Court Judge William Hamby (NCADCJ president), as well as Wake County Clerk of Superior Court Jennifer Knox for taking time to attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

The demand for this statutory change followed the Court of Appeals' recent ruling in Stancill v Stancill (No. COA14-1024) (Pitt County 14-CVD-1360). Absent the clarification, the ruling would have required additional judicial resources, and in many cases would have created unnecessary delay in providing domestic violence victims the emergency temporary relief contemplated by the General Statutes.

Related Links

Official House Bill 59 (HB59) on NCGA site

Governor's press release