Michael Hewlett
@blackmuse.bsky.social
Reporter for The Assembly NC, covering criminal justice issues, movie enthusiast, music obsessor, pop culture consumer and poetry lover.
Pinned
Was This High-Ranking Black Marine Wrongfully Convicted?
Ruben Wright was a high-ranking Black Marine before a 2006 murder conviction. His lawyers say a main theory presented at trial has collapsed.
www.theassemblync.com
Prosecutors Made a Rare Concession in a Murder Case. But Will It Matter? www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...
Attorneys File State Bar Complaints Against Wake County Prosecutor www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Attorneys File State Bar Complaints Against Wake County Prosecutor
Two attorneys filed State Bar complaints against a Wake County prosecutor who has been accused multiple times of violating discovery rules.
www.theassemblync.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Attorneys File State Bar Complaints Against Wake County Prosecutor www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Two Democrats Accuse 2026 Primary Candidate of Racist Remarks www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Two Democrats Accuse 2026 Primary Candidate of Racist Remarks
State Sen. Graig Meyer says former state Rep. Michael Wray in 2014 told him to “watch out for the blacks.” Wray says it didn’t happen.
www.theassemblync.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Two Democrats Accuse 2026 Primary Candidate of Racist Remarks www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Another Shot at Freedom www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Another Shot at Freedom
Two men exonerated in the murder of Chris Paul’s grandfather are still in prison. Their lawyer asked the N.C. Supreme Court to release them.
www.theassemblync.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Another Shot at Freedom www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
The Lawyers Who Kept Screwing Up www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
The Lawyers Who Kept Screwing Up
A section of the N.C. DOJ repeatedly erred and antagonized federal judges–even in cases they seemed guaranteed to win.
www.theassemblync.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:04 PM
The Lawyers Who Kept Screwing Up www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
How Rural N.C. Lowered Overdose Deaths—But Will Struggle to Keep Pace www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...
How Rural N.C. Lowered Overdose Deaths—But Will Struggle to Keep Pace
Rural North Carolina communities are finally reversing opioid overdose deaths. But funding cuts could undo progress.
www.theassemblync.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:04 AM
How Rural N.C. Lowered Overdose Deaths—But Will Struggle to Keep Pace www.theassemblync.com/news/health/...
‘Where Are My Friends?’ Teachers Say Operation Charlotte’s Web Rattled Students www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...
‘Where Are My Friends?’ Teachers Say Operation Charlotte’s Web Rattled Students
Some parents and teachers say they expected better communication and more understanding from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools amid CBP presence.
www.theassemblync.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:35 PM
‘Where Are My Friends?’ Teachers Say Operation Charlotte’s Web Rattled Students www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...
The New Head of N.C.’s Prisons Tries to Unwind a Staffing Quagmire www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
The New Head of N.C.’s Prisons Tries to Unwind a Staffing Quagmire
Leslie Cooley Dismukes wants to prioritize reentry and reduce recidivism. But she has to solve a staffing crisis in the prison system first.
www.theassemblync.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 PM
The New Head of N.C.’s Prisons Tries to Unwind a Staffing Quagmire www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
‘They basically just kidnapped me’: US citizen taken by Border Patrol in Cary ncnewsline.com/2025/11/20/t...
‘They basically just kidnapped me’: US citizen taken by Border Patrol in Cary • NC Newsline
As Border Patrol agents swept the Triangle area, a construction worker born in the U.S. was among those detained.
ncnewsline.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM
‘They basically just kidnapped me’: US citizen taken by Border Patrol in Cary ncnewsline.com/2025/11/20/t...
N.C. Republicans Defend Gerrymandering Their Way to Victory www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
N.C. Republicans Defend Gerrymandering Their Way to Victory
North Carolina’s new congressional map had its first legal test Wednesday. The outcome will likely have ripple effects nationally as each party attempts to gerrymander its way to a U.S. House majority...
www.theassemblync.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
N.C. Republicans Defend Gerrymandering Their Way to Victory www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Law and Orders www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Law and Orders
Even for immigration lawyers, figuring out the Border Patrol’s opaque operation in North Carolina is nearly impossible.
www.theassemblync.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Law and Orders www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Immigration Agents Coming to Raleigh Tuesday, Sources Say www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Immigration Agents Coming to Raleigh Tuesday, Sources Say
Mayor: 'It is the city of Raleigh’s understanding that the Border Patrol and ICE are already in Raleigh and that they will be active tomorrow.'
www.theassemblync.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Immigration Agents Coming to Raleigh Tuesday, Sources Say www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Fear, Protest, and Preparation As 80+ Are Reportedly Detained in Charlotte www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Fear, Protest, and Preparation As 80+ Are Reportedly Detained in Charlotte
As federal immigration officers descended on the Queen City, the city’s immigrant and activist communities braced for what’s to come.
www.theassemblync.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Fear, Protest, and Preparation As 80+ Are Reportedly Detained in Charlotte www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Inside Durham's Dependency Court www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Inside Durham's Dependency Court
A civil rights group’s lawsuit against Durham’s secretive child welfare court intends to shed light on proceedings which terminate parental rights.
www.theassemblync.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Inside Durham's Dependency Court www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
The Politics of an Arrest www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
The Politics of an Arrest
Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page’s oversight of his jail has become a key issue in his primary campaign against GOP Senate leader Phil Berger.
www.theassemblync.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The Politics of an Arrest www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:50 PM
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening.
The U.S. Supreme Court has forbidden using gender to remove potential jurors, but N.C. appellate courts have done little to enforce that.
www.theassemblync.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening.
The U.S. Supreme Court has forbidden using gender to remove potential jurors, but N.C. appellate courts have done little to enforce that.
www.theassemblync.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:08 PM
It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
When Trump Says Jump www.theassemblync.com/politics/tru...
When Trump Says Jump
The White House has ordered red states to redraw congressional districts. North Carolina Republicans have been happy to oblige.
www.theassemblync.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:28 PM
When Trump Says Jump www.theassemblync.com/politics/tru...
A Revived Death Penalty? www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...
A Revived Death Penalty?
Republican state legislators hope a new crime law will restart the death penalty. Legal experts say it won’t be that easy.
www.theassemblync.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:48 PM
A Revived Death Penalty? www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...
A Revived Death Penalty? www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...
A Revived Death Penalty?
Republican state legislators hope a new crime law will restart the death penalty. Legal experts say it won’t be that easy.
www.theassemblync.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:59 PM
A Revived Death Penalty? www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...
Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration
The N.C. Court of Appeals has seemingly made it official that the men convicted as teenagers of killing NBA star Chris Paul’s grandfather are exonerated.
www.theassemblync.com
October 1, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...
Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration
The N.C. Court of Appeals has seemingly made it official that the men convicted as teenagers of killing NBA star Chris Paul’s grandfather are exonerated.
www.theassemblync.com
September 30, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Appeals Court Affirms Exoneration www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...