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...
‘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...
WRAL-TV Fights to Succeed in a New Media World www.theassemblync.com/media/wral-t...
WRAL-TV Fights to Succeed in a New Media World
WRAL confronts a precarious future as locally owned television stations deal with declining viewership and advertising revenue.
www.theassemblync.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:33 AM
WRAL-TV Fights to Succeed in a New Media World www.theassemblync.com/media/wral-t...
Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene www.theassemblync.com/environment/...
Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene
A ProPublica and Assembly analysis of the more rural counties Helene pummeled found households that got the most aid had higher incomes.
www.theassemblync.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene www.theassemblync.com/environment/...
The North Carolinians who lost their jobs for posting about Charlie Kirk
open.substack.com/pub/downfrom...
open.substack.com/pub/downfrom...
The North Carolinians who lost their jobs for posting about Charlie Kirk
Welcome back to Down from DC.
open.substack.com
September 26, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The North Carolinians who lost their jobs for posting about Charlie Kirk
open.substack.com/pub/downfrom...
open.substack.com/pub/downfrom...
My latest: State Trooper Sued Over Alleged Assault www.theassemblync.com/politics/law...
State Trooper Sued Over Alleged Assault
The lawsuit alleges the trooper punched a man who had crashed into a utility pole in Greenville and was having an epileptic seizure.
www.theassemblync.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:29 PM
My latest: State Trooper Sued Over Alleged Assault www.theassemblync.com/politics/law...
A Fatal Stabbing and Its Aftermath www.theassemblync.com/politics/cha...
A Fatal Stabbing and Its Aftermath
Republicans have made a political cudgel of Iryna Zarutska’s killing. A draft crime bill expected this week may be more posturing than solutions.
www.theassemblync.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:57 PM
A Fatal Stabbing and Its Aftermath www.theassemblync.com/politics/cha...