Supreme Court of North Carolina

State v. Barden

May 22, 2026

Summary

The Supreme Court of North Carolina held that when the Governor commutes a death sentence to life imprisonment without a court vacating the original judgment, initial appellate jurisdiction remains with the Court of Appeals under N.C.G.S. § 7A-27, and therefore remanded the case to that court. The decision was based on statutory interpretation of appellate jurisdiction provisions.