In an article on Philly.com on November 15, 2015, regarding the ongoing judicial calamity in the Pennsylvania Court System, ethics expert Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr., an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, took aim at the Judicial Conduct Board's  position that its proceedings are confidential. "It is a little paradoxical that a board constituted to create greater transparency and trust in the judiciary is itself quite untransparent," he said. Pennsylvania citizens did not need an Ivy League … Continue Reading ››

This ruling in Pennsylvania Superior Court may come in handy one day.

Commonwealth v. Wright, 99 A.3d 565 (Pa. Super. Aug. 29, 2014): per Stabile, J., held that the "plain view doctrine did not operate to justify warrantless seizure of defendant's [cell phone]." Under the Fourth Amendment and Article I, § 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, "plain view doctrine permits a warrantless seizure if . . .1) [the] police did not violate the Fourth Amendment during the course of their arrival at the location where they viewed the item in question; 2) the item was … Continue Reading ››

They began narrowing the right to jury trial since the Pennsylvania Supreme Court gained too much independence in 1968. This is just another example.

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One of the lesser known provisions of the U.S. legal system is a "safety net" called Lawyers Fund for Client Security, which comes under the The National Client Protection Organization, Inc.   There are branches in almost every state in the country.   These funds are supposed to provide restitution for theft perpetrated by attorneys, but it would be very un- American if you didn't have to jump hoops for any chance of recovery. 

As with everything in our capitalist regime, experience has shown these funds to lean more … Continue Reading ››