Articles

In Commonwealth v. Shwarz , 1847 EDA 2012 (July 15, 2014), the Pennsylvania Superior Court granted a new trial to an appellant who argued the trial court judge exhibited bias against him. The appellant, a Philadelphia police officer, faced charges of official oppression and related offenses, and was convicted by a jury. On appeal, the appellant argued that the trial judge […]

The Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee recently met and voted to amend Senate Bill 1036, expanding the ignition-interlock requirements. Ignition-interlock devices are essentially breathalyzers installed in cars. They require the driver to exhale into the device to show that the driver is not intoxicated when starting the car or while driving. If the driver refuses to […]

The usage of cell phones has made it easier than ever for us to be tracked.  Even if a phone has been destroyed, it may have left behind evidence that investigators can use to piece together where it, and its owner, have been. Whenever a phone call is made, there is a two-way communication between […]

Separate bills, each banning what is commonly known as “Revenge Porn,” have passed the Pennsylvania House of Representative and the Senate. The bills would make it a crime to distribute a photo or video of someone “who is nude or explicitly engaged in a sexual act to the view of a third party for no legitimate […]

In Riley v. California, 537 U.S. __ (2014), a surprisingly unanimous 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court added additional privacy protection to American’s cell phones.  Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts held that police need a warrant to search the cell phone of someone who is under arrest.  This result greatly pleased privacy activists, who […]