On June 9th, the Supreme Court of the United States decided the case of Williams v. Pennsylvania. In doing so, the SCOTUS overturned a ruling of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, holding that a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice should had recused himself from ruling on a case in which he had prior involvement as a district […]
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Justice Department Proposes New Standards for Expert Testimony
After finding last year that nearly all hair examiners in FBI forensics units had overstated testimony regarding hair matches, which have incriminated defendants in criminal trials over the last several decades, the Justice Department just recently proposed the first department-wide standards for expert testimony. These standards will seek to ensure that forensic experts within the […]
Article on Ricker and hearsay at Preliminary Hearings
Article on Ricker and hearsay at Preliminary Hearings
New “Textalyzer” Device Could Help Combat Distracted Driving
The advent of smartphones and their ever-increasing capabilities has brought with it extremely high levels of distracted driving, and consequently, a higher frequency of accidents. Texting, music, and even navigation applications cause drivers to look down at their phones for significant periods of time rather than keep their eyes on the road, and this distracted […]
Trooper’s Mistake of Law Can Not Give Him Probable Cause to Stop Vehicle
In a recent decision, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania held that a trooper did not have probable cause to stop the defendant’s vehicle when the defendant changed lanes less than 100 feet after activating his turn signal. In Commonwealth v. Slattery, the defendant Slattery was driving on Route 30 when the trooper spotted him merge […]
