Articles

One oft-mentioned aspect of Pennsylvania criminal law that is imperative to understand is self-defense. The Trayvon Martin case has turned legalisms such as “duty to retreat” and “stand your ground” into household phrases, but these phrases are more complex than they sound. This primer will educate you on what exactly these terms mean, as well […]

On June 11, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed lawsuits against Dollar General and a BMW facility in South Carolina for allegedly using criminal background checks of potential employees in an unfair and discriminatory manner. This comes just over a year after the EEOC updated its rules in April 2012 to prevent racial discrimination, […]

On June 18, Governor Tom Corbett signed a bill into law that allows victims of crime to speak directly to the Board of Probation and Parole when the inmate that committed the crime is having his or her parole hearing. The Crime Victims Act of 1998 only permitted victims to petition the board through a […]

Yesterday was a sad day for the Fifth Amendment when the United States Supreme Court issued its decision on Salinas v. Texas. In Salinas, the court sought to answer the question: can the prosecution use a person’s silence against him when he refuses to answer questions during pre-custodial questioning without expressly invoking his Fifth Amendment […]

Last week, the United State Supreme Court issued its opinion on United States v. Davila. The Court sought to answer the question: when a federal judge gives nonprejudicial advice to the defendant during plea bargaining and the defendant pleads guilty, is the appropriate remedy to vacate the guilty plea? In a unanimous decision, the Court […]