Pennsylvania

13 cops in this state will be fired because of offensive Facebook posts

Thirteen Philadelphia police officers will be fired for racist, violent and offensive Facebook posts uncovered because of the efforts of a local lawyer. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross announced the disciplinary action Thursday, report the Philadelphia Inquirer, ABC News, Injustice Watch and BuzzFeed News. Ross told reporters that the department’s…

Jul 22, 2019 2:02 PM CDT

ACLU sues state police, alleging they’re acting as immigration authorities

Pennsylvania State Police troopers have routinely violated the law by stopping and holding people based solely on their Latino appearance, terrifying drivers and passengers while usurping federal authority to investigate supposed immigration violations, the ACLU claims in a federal lawsuit filed recently.

Jul 9, 2019 1:29 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bar associations battle over trademark; New Jersey judge rebuked over rape case

• Even though the Association of Trial Lawyers of America changed its name to the American Association for Justice in 2006, the Washington, D.C.-based bar association is suing the California-based Association of American Trial Lawyers for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The suit says the American Association for Justice sent…

Jul 3, 2019 4:27 PM CDT

Millions of minor criminal cases in this state will be automatically wiped from public databases

An automated computer process will begin sealing millions of criminal records from public databases Friday as a result of Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law. The law is the first in the nation to automatically seal some criminal records using technology, report the Morning Call, the CLS Blog and a joint story…

Jun 28, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Lawyer is charged after shooting injured raccoon near courthouse

A Pennsylvania lawyer has been charged with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct for shooting an injured raccoon near the Luzerne County Courthouse last month.

Jun 27, 2019 11:26 AM CDT

Virus leads to takedown of city’s court system website and e-filing

Philadelphia’s court system website and e-filing have been shut down since May 21 to safeguard against a virus found on a limited number of computers. Law firms are going old-school, using couriers and paper to file lawsuits and other court documents, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The website takedown has made…

Jun 3, 2019 2:49 PM CDT

Spotting concealed gun isn’t reason enough for police to stop and investigate, top state court rules

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that police violate the Fourth Amendment when they stop people simply because they are carrying concealed guns. The Friday ruling overturns a 1991 state decision.

Jun 3, 2019 1:21 PM CDT

Judge is on leave pending investigation into shooting of estranged husband

A Pennsylvania judge is on leave during an investigation into whether she was justified in shooting and wounding her estranged husband. A court spokesperson said Wednesday that Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight of Dauphin County has gone on paid leave, report PennLive.com and Fox 43. The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office…

May 23, 2019 12:28 PM CDT

Nonlawyer judge who left the bench still fined $5K for improper sexual conduct

Pennsylvania’s Court of Judicial Discipline has fined and reprimanded a nonlawyer judge who is no longer on the bench, partly for an improper sexual relationship with the girlfriend of a DUI defendant in his treatment court. Michael Shaw, the former judge in Sayre, Pennsylvania, was fined $5,000, report PennLive.com and…

May 17, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Inmate who represented himself on appeal and in fourth trial wins acquittal on murder charge

A Pennsylvania inmate who served nearly 13 years in prison on a murder charge won an acquittal Monday after representing himself on appeal and in a fourth trial. Jurors deliberated only 81 minutes before acquitting Hassan Bennett in the 2006 shooting death of 19-year-old Devon English and the wounding of…

May 9, 2019 12:19 PM CDT

New state law allows attorneys to store guns for domestic abusers; this lawyer is ready

A Philadelphia lawyer has shelled out about $3,500 for a gun safe where he can store guns for clients accused of domestic abuse. Joseph Lento told the PA Post that he is willing to provide the service under the state’s new Protection from Abuse Act, which took effect April 10.…

May 2, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Parental rights of prisoners get a shield of protection

The state of Indiana is on the verge of enacting a law that will make sure parents in prison don’t have their parental rights terminated because of their imprisonment alone, an issue the Marshall Project first reported on in December.

Apr 26, 2019 3:24 PM CDT

Catholic foster care agency loses fight over refusing to place kids with same-sex couples

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the city of Philadelphia can sever its contract with a Catholic foster care agency that refuses to place children with same-sex couples. In its opinion, a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia held that Catholic Social Services’…

Apr 23, 2019 11:02 AM CDT

Now in the court of a-peels: A copyright dispute over a banana costume

If you search the internet for banana quotes, you’ll find this one, reportedly uttered by Microsoft founder Bill Gates: “Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana.” That quote may be apropos in a copyright case over banana costumes being heard by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…

Apr 5, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Plaintiffs seeking more school funding are using states’ own performance requirements to win

Parents and school districts have been suing over school funding, using state-mandated performance standards to argue that states aren’t living up to their end of the bargain—and they’re winning.

Apr 1, 2019 1:40 AM CDT