Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

New “Ban-the-box” Bill in PA In late October, Pennsylvania State Representatives Morgan Cephas and Jason Ortitay introduced H.B. 2952, specifically written to “ban the box” on applications to public colleges and...

The tragic case of a young woman’s rape and resulting pregnancies made Pennsylvania legislators aware of a loophole in state law that allowed her rapist to have normal parental rights to the children who resulted from...

To read part 1, click here. In October, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health referred to the domestic violence epidemic as a “public health issue” and recommended that, due to the long-term effects of domestic violence (DV) on...

When most people think of domestic violence (DV), they view it as a crime—as well they should. It is a crime to cause harm to another person in any setting, and especially among partners or family members. However, looking at...

In January 2018, Keenan Smith, a 29-year-old from Philadelphia, attempted to rob the Trolley Car Diner. He snuck in through a side entrance and waited outside of the manager’s office with a gun. When the manager entered, the...

Earlier this fall, an off-duty Pennsylvania police officer was seen on security cameras, allegedly slashing the tires of cars parked outside of a local restaurant he had been patronizing. While many details are still unknown,...

In the week after election day 2020, police arrested two Chesapeake, Virginia men near a Philadelphia absentee vote-counting location, allegedly armed with firearms not licensed in Pennsylvania. Law enforcement reported that...

The Pennsylvania State Senate recently approved Bill 1170, which allows expert witnesses to testify in court cases that involve domestic violence and human trafficking. The hope is that the expert witnesses will give a clearer...

Earlier this fall, the state charged a 22-year-old man with a number of crimes, including attempted murder. These charges come after Wanyai Parker allegedly shot at two women, one of whom had an active Protection From Abuse Order...

A Pennsylvania man recently learned the hard way that crime doesn’t pay. A Galeton man received a 20-year sentence in federal prison for illegally selling the pharmaceuticals oxycodone and fentanyl. The case was part of...

A recent attempted murder case shows that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Pennsylvania state police recently arrested a man for allegedly trying to kill his wife by creating a tripwire at the top of his home...

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, protesters are crying foul after they were arrested and detained on a $1 million bail. This detainment happened after they clashed with police when the protests they were participating in turned violent...

As fans, critics, and the in-betweeners of Bill Cosby continue to follow his sexual misconduct case proceedings, one can’t help but get drawn into these fascinating proceedings, speculate, and draw unrealistic conclusions....

Since it arrived in the United States early this year, COVID-19 has fundamentally changed almost every aspect of how we interact with others and go about the business of our daily lives. This “new normal” has also impacted the...

Our country has recently witnessed high-profile police brutality cases that have resulted in the deaths of many men and women of color and reignited conversations surrounding racism and inequality in our law enforcement and legal...

Although recreational marijuana is not legal in Pennsylvania, in April 2016, Governor Wolf legalized medical marijuana use. Roughly two years after that, in February 2018, it became possible to acquire marijuana from medical...

Abuse is a word that many people equate with physical violence. Although physical abuse has dire legal consequences, the ramifications for verbal abuse can be just as severe. In Pennsylvania, a victim of physical or verbal abuse...

When a police officer uses deadly force, their actions immediately come under scrutiny: Was the force justified? Was the suspect indeed a threat? Could the incident have been handled in another way? Often these questions...

For months, U.S. citizens have debated the efficacy of wearing masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. Some have tried to prove that it’s a useless practice. Some have pointed out that it’s, at the very least, a...

Due to financial, social, and health-related concerns, the coronavirus pandemic has been hard on everyone – and for many people, that added hardship comes with heightened emotions. It’s hard to accept the “new normal”...