State v. Norman – Case Brief (IRAC Format)
⚖️ Case Brief: State v. Norman (1989) Court : Court of Appeals of North Carolina Date Decided : July 18, 1989 Citation : State v. Norman , 378 S.E.2d 8 (N.C. Ct. App. 1989) Presiding Judge : Justice Arnold ❓ Issue Can a battered woman who kills her abusive husband while he is asleep successfully claim self-defense when there was no immediate threat at the time of the killing? 📘 Rule In North Carolina, a claim of self-defense requires that the defendant: Was not the aggressor; Reasonably believed that deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm ; Used proportional force in response to the threat. 📖 "A killing in self-defense is excused if the defendant had a reasonable belief that death or great bodily harm was imminent." — State v. Clay , 297 N.C. 555 (1979) 🕰️ Facts ✍️ Judy Norman , the defendant, had been subjected to nearly 25 years of extreme and relentless physical, emotional, and psychological abuse by ...