Pleading No Contest Vs Guilty In North Carolina
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FAQ
Relief from a Criminal Conviction (2025 Edition) In North Carolina, a person may be convicted of a criminal offense in three ways: by pleading guilty, by pleading no contest, or by pleading not guilty and being found guilty by a judge or jury.
``No contest'' means you are not admitting guilt, but are accepting there is sufficient evidence to convict you. ``Guilty'' means you are admitting guilt. Either way, the court will sentence you for the crime.
A defendant has a right to appeal when a motion to withdraw a plea of guilty or no contest has been denied. G.S. 15A-1444(e); State v. Handy, 326 N.C. 532 (1990). A defendant may retain the right to appeal the denial of a motion to suppress evidence even after the entry of a guilty plea.
If you plead "nolo contendere" (no contest) you stated that while you do not wish to plead guilty you agree that the prosecutor has sufficient evidence that the court would find you guilty. This is considered the same as pleading guilty as far as the conviction is concerned.
A plea of nolo contendre (latin for “I am unwilling to contest”) is a plea recognized in US law, but does not have any foundation in Canadian criminal law. It is prohibited by virtue of s. 606(1) which lists all valid pleas. A guilty plea that in substance amounts to a plea of nolo contendre will be invalid.
Read more. About 95% of felony convictions in the United States are obtained by guilty pleas (and at least as many misdemeanor convictions), but only 15% of known exonerees pled guilty (261/1,702). Innocent defendants who plead guilty have an exceptionally hard time convincing anybody of their innocence. Read more.
