Jovon Knox, who was convicted of Second Degree Murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for an incident that occurred when he was 17 year old, has had his sentence vacated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The United States Supreme Court recently held, in Miller v. Alabama (2012), that a sentence of […]
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Pennsylvania teachers must report DUI and other offenses
If you are a teacher at any Pennsylvania school (K-12), an amendment passed to the Pennsylvania School Code may have a significant effect on your employment – if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor of the first degree, a felony, or have driving under the influence convictions. The amendment concerns criminal background checks that […]
Retroactivity of SORNA in Pennsylvania Has Been Limited
Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) was amended on July 5, limiting its retroactivity. Before the amendment, SORNA would require sex offenders to register in a database and notify their community of their status if they would be incarcerated or on parole/probation for any crime on December 20, 2012, even if they were […]
How to handle a civil deposition while criminal charges are contemplated
In civil cases that involve the potential for related criminal charges, it is important to advise the client to proceed with caution so as to not incriminate himself in the subsequent criminal proceeding. To do this, it is often best to advise the client to plead the 5th Amendment against self-incrimination to questions that might incriminate […]
Williams v. Illinois narrows Confrontation Clause protection
In a plurality opinion in Williams v. Illinois that repeatedly uses questionable logic in the formation of its decision, the United States Supreme Court has effectively narrowed defendants’ rights in terms of the Confrontation Clause, a part of the Sixth Amendment. The Confrontation Clause states that “the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with […]
