Articles

In a groundbreaking 3-2 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided this week in Commonwealth v. Hopkins,  that 18 Pa.C.S. § 6317, the drug-free school zone statute, is unconstitutional and non-severable pursuant to United States v. Alleyne, 133 S.Ct. 2151 (2013). Section 6317 of the Crimes Code requires additional, mandatory minimum two-year sentences for adults convicted of […]

On July 1st, 2015, the Protection From Sexual Violence & Intimidation Act (PSVI) (read the whole act here)  will go into effect.  It provides a civil remedy that a perpetrator of sexual violence have no contact with the victim whether or not the victim seeks criminal prosecution.  In many ways, the PSVI Act is a […]

In the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday, Iris Gibney, 42, pled guilty to having sex with a minor.  Police had witnessed Gibney naked in a Pottstown-area park with a 17 year-old boy.   By pleading guilty, Gibney, who works at the Victoria’s Secret at the King of Prussia Mall, admitted to the facts […]

Need to access a client’s file on the fly?  There is an app for that, says Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin.    Compatible with IPhones and IPads, the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts has launched a free mobile application that will provide useful information including results, charges, status changes, and important dates […]

The United States Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Innocence Project, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have issued a report that calls into question more than 90% of trial convictions before 2000 where flawed FBI microscopic hair analysis was used to support the conviction.   The  NACDL, FBI, and the Philadelphia Inquirer have reported […]