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19 N.C. App. 105

198 S.E.2d 27

State v. Edmonds

Court of Appeals of North Carolina · decided 1973-07-25

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“'[D]uring a session of the court a judgment is in fieri and the court has authority in its sound discretion, prior to expiration of the session, to modify, amend or set aside the judgment.'”

quoted by 2 later decisions, including 184 N.C. App. 306 - State v. Mead, State v. Adkins

Relies on Wiggins v. Bunch · Chriscoe v. Chriscoe · State v. . Godwin

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1973-07-25

How this case has been cited

Cited by 10 later decisions — most recently February 2018

10 state decisions

4019731980199020002010decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

BRITT, Judge.

¶1 Defendant’s only assignment of error is that the trial court erred in signing and entering the second judgment and commitment without specifically vacating or striking the prior judgment duly signed and entered at the same session (term). We hold that the court .did not err.

¶2 Defendant recognizes, and authorities support, the principle that during a session of the court a judgment is in fieri and the court has authority in its sound discretion, prior to expiration of the session, to modify, amend or set aside the judgment. 5 Strong’s N. C. Index 2d, Judgments, § 6, pp. 14-15; Wiggins v. Bunch, 280 N.C. 106, 184 S.E. 2d 879 (1971); *107 Chriscoe v. Chriscoe, 268 N.C. 554, 151 S.E. 2d 33 (1966); In re Moses, 17 N.C. App. 104, 193 S.E. 2d 375 (1972).

¶3 While recognizing the principle stated, defendant contends the court may not enter two conflicting judgments. The record indicates that two days after the entry of a judgment imposing a prison sentence suspended upon compliance with certain conditions, but during the same session, the court entered the second judgment imposing an active sentence. By its. latter action the court did not enter a second judgment to stand with the first judgment, thereby creating a conflict, nor did the court activate the suspended sentence; rather, the court, in its discretion, modified the first judgment. State v. Godwin, 210 N.C. 447, 187 S.E. 560 (1936).

¶4 The judgment appealed from is

¶5 Affirmed.

Judges Morris and Parker concur.
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