(a)        The agency, department, or court having jurisdiction over the inmate, probationer, parolee or defendant at the time his rights of citizenship are restored under the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1(1) shall immediately issue a certificate or order in duplicate evidencing the offender’s unconditional discharge and specifying the restoration of his rights of citizenship.

The original of such certificate or order shall be promptly transmitted to the clerk of the General Court of Justice in the county where the official record of the case from which the conviction arose is filed.? The clerk shall then file the certificate or order without charge with the official record of the case.

(b)        In the case of a person convicted of a crime against another state or the United States, whose rights to citizenship have been restored according to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1, the following provisions shall apply:

(1)        It shall be the duty of the clerk of the court in the county where such person resides, upon a showing by such person or his representative that the conditions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1 have been met, to issue the certificate evidencing the offender’s unconditional discharge and specifying the restoration of his rights of citizenship.? For purposes of this subsection, the fulfillment of the conditions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1 shall be considered met upon the presentation to the clerk of any paper writing from the agency of any other state or of the United States which had jurisdiction over such person, which shows that the conditions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1 have been met.

(2)        The certificate described in subdivision (b)(1) shall be filed by the clerk of the General Court of Justice in the county in which such person resides.

The provisions of this subsection apply equally to conditional and unconditional pardons by the governor of any other state or by the President of the United States, as well as unconditional discharges by the agency of another state or of the United States having jurisdiction over said person. (1971, c. 902; 1973, c. 251; 1977, c. 813, s. 2; 1991, c. 274, s. 2.)

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Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 13-2

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • United States: shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3