Abstract:
This bulletin deals with the third of three authorizations North Carolina law allows for magistrates to take guilty pleas. N.C.G.S. 7A-273(1) provides that magistrates may accept guilty pleas or admissions of responsibility and enter judgment for infractions in which the maximum penalty that can be imposed is not more than $50 and for Class 3 misdemeanors (Class 3 misdemeanor jurisdiction). The Bulletin also list Infractions and Misdemeanors and the maximum punishment for each.