Articles

https://www.propublica.org/article/prosecutors-dropping-child-porn-charges-after-software-tools-are-questioned

Congratulations to Fairlie & Lippy Partner Elizabeth Lippy! She is Associate Director of American University Law School’s Trial Advocacy Program, which just won First Place at the National Criminal Justice Trial Competition in Chicago. The team also dominated in the individual awards, winning awards for the best opening, best closing, and best cross-examination. Elizabeth is […]

For some unknown reason Pennsylvania’s courts have refused to allow litigants to cite to the majority of Superior Court and Commonwealth Court decisions – those that were designated as non-precedential.  This could be maddening if you found a case directly on point with the issue in your case.  You’re holding the answer in your hand.  […]

On October 17, 2018 the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania held in Commonwealth v. Valdivia that a canine sniff of Defendant Randy Valdivia’s vehicle exceeded the scope of consent he had give police to search his car following a traffic stop. The Court held that for that reason the approximately 20 pounds of marijuana found in Valdivia’s […]

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has allowed an appeal to determine whether Birchfield principles (that criminal sanctions can’t be applied to warrantless or involuntary blood draws) apply to cases that were not yet finally resolved at the time the Birchfield decision was arrived at.  This might help those whose cases have been thrown out of court […]