by William Bickerton | May 16, 2013 | Alcohol Laws, Blog Posts, DUI, In the News, Laws of Questionable Merit
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the limit for blood alcohol levels for drivers be lowered to 0.05. The NTSB has also recommended that measures be taken to encourage broader use of interlock devices. Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the...
by Lea Bickerton | Feb 11, 2013 | Blog, Blog Posts, In the News, Police Misconduct
On November 11, 2012, Leon Ford was shot by a city of Pittsburgh police officer during a traffic stop. Although a video of the incident has been recovered, the audio recording doesn’t include anything between the time the officers exited their car to the time...
by Lea Bickerton | Feb 5, 2013 | Blog, Blog Posts, Constitutional Rights, In the News, Sentencing and Punishments
US attorneys are recommending a sentence of life in prison for Samuel Mullet. Mullet is an Amish bishop convicted of conspiracy and federal hate crimes after a string of attacks in which Amish individuals had their hair and beards cut with shears against their will....
by Lea Bickerton | Dec 19, 2012 | Blog, Blog Posts, In the News, Megan's Law, PCRA
Starting tomorrow, the rules for who must register as a Megan’s Law sex offender in Pennsylvania will change. Under the new law, sex offenders are classified by three tiers. Tier I offenders will have to register for 15 years. Tier II offenders will have to...
by Lea Bickerton | May 30, 2012 | Blog, Blog Posts, Case Law Summaries, Legal Briefs
Commonwealth v. Michael Willis 9 EAP 2009 (05/30/2012) Topic: Constitutional Rights – Right to a Fair Trial – Brady Violation Summary: The prosecution is required to turn over any evidence that is material under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963); regardless...
by Lea Bickerton | Nov 2, 2011 | Blog, Blog Posts, Fines, Traffic Ticket
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has passed a law prohibiting drivers from sending text messages or otherwise composing written messages (email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) while driving. The prohibition does not include devices used “exclusively” for the...
