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Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Brief in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for Prelim Injunction, Censorship, 2018

Brief • November 1, 2018

Filed under: Censorship

Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Brief in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for Prelim Injunction, Censorship, 2018 Case 1:18-cv-02100-JEJ-EBC Document 9 Filed 11/01/18 Page 1 of 43 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTIONAL LAW PROJECT, ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER, AMISTAD LAW PROJECT, …

$3 Million Federal Court Settlement: Philadelphia Agrees to End Civil Forfeiture

Article • October 31, 2018 • from CLN November, 2018

Filed under: Criminal justice system reform, Settlements, Class Certification, Forfeiture

$3 Million Federal Court Settlement: Philadelphia Agrees to End Civil Forfeiture by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna A federal civil rights suit alleging massive abuse of Philadelphia’s civil asset forfeiture program was settled in September 2018 for $3 million, which will be distributed to individuals it victimized. The settlement resolved …

Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Censorship, 2018

Brief • October 30, 2018

Filed under: Censorship

Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Censorship, 2018 Case 1:18-cv-02100-JEJ-EBC Document 3 Filed 10/30/18 Page 1 of 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTIONAL LAW PROJECT, ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER, AMISTAD LAW PROJECT, AND AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION …

Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Complaint, Censorship, 2018

Brief • October 30, 2018

Filed under: Censorship

Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Complaint, Censorship, 2018 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTIONAL LAW PROJECT, ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER, AMISTAD LAW PROJECT, and AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF PENNSYLVANIA, Plaintiffs, v. JOHN E. WETZEL, Secretary of Department of Corrections, SHIRLEY …

Pennsylvania Police Use Hate Crime Law Against People Who Verbally Abuse Them, Dramatically Increasing Potential Jail Time

Article • October 26, 2018 • from CLN November, 2018

Filed under: Criminal Prosecution, Police

Pennsylvania Police Use Hate Crime Law Against People Who Verbally Abuse Them, Dramatically Increasing Potential Jail Time by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the Pennsylvania ACLU, wrote in her blog of the recent arrests and charges of hate crimes against citizens because they used …

Hayes v. Wetzel, PA, Complaint, Censorship, 2018

Brief • October 22, 2018

Filed under: Censorship

Hayes v. Wetzel, PA, Complaint, Censorship, 2018 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA DAVON R. HAYES, Plaintiff, v. JOHN E. WETZEL, Secretary of Department of Corrections, SHIRLEY MOORE SMEAL, Executive Deputy Secretary of Department of Corrections, TABB BICKELL, Executive Deputy Secretary for Institutional Operations, …

Private DNA Lab Under Fire for Faulty Analysis

Article • September 24, 2018 • from CLN October, 2018

Filed under: Private Contractors, DNA Testing/Samples, Crime Labs

Private DNA Lab Under Fire for Faulty Analysis by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis National Medical Services, Inc. (“NMS”), a Pennsylvania-based forensics and medical lab, was cited in a recent report by the Texas Forensic Science Commission (“TFSC”) for improperly overamplifying DNA during work for a defense attorney. The “overblown” …

Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections, GTL E-book Availability List for Prisoners, 2018

Publication • September 18, 2018

Filed under: Education

Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections, GTL E-book Availability List for Prisoners, 2018 Title Let me know whFrom Pieces to Weight Con Men The Imitation of Christ I Had a Hammer Derelict Knee-Deep in the Dead Hell on Earth Endgame Infernal Sky The Story of My Misfortunes Flatland Die a Little The …

East Pittsburgh Officer Charged in Shooting of Unarmed Teen

Article • August 28, 2018

Filed under: Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Police), Traffic stop

East Pittsburgh Officer Charged in Shooting of Unarmed Teen by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell An East Pittsburgh Police Officer was charged with criminal homicide June 27 in the shooting death of Antwon Rose Jr., a 17-year-old who ran from police during a traffic stop but was unarmed and posed …

Third Circuit Grants Habeas Relief to Prisoner Convicted of First-Degree Murder Without Evidence of Specific Intent to Kill

Article • August 17, 2018 • from CLN September, 2018

Filed under: Jury Instructions, Habeas Corpus

Third Circuit Grants Habeas Relief to Prisoner Convicted of First-Degree Murder Without Evidence of Specific Intent to Kill by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit granted a Pennsylvania state prisoner conditional habeas corpus relief because the jury instructions used to convict …

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Search Warrant Required for Nonconsensual Entry into Any Residence to Carry Out Arrest Warrant

Article • July 21, 2018 • from CLN August, 2018

Filed under: Arrestee Searches, Police Searches, Arrest and Booking, Arrest Warrants

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Search Warrant Required for Nonconsensual Entry into Any Residence to Carry Out Arrest Warrant by Richard Resch by Richard Resch The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopted a new rule governing nonconsensual entry into a residence to effectuate an arrest warrant. The Court rejected the constitutional framework …

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Vacates Intellectually Disabled Prisoner’s Death Sentence

Article • July 21, 2018 • from CLN August, 2018

Filed under: Disabled Prisoners, Death Penalty

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Vacates Intellectually Disabled Prisoner’s Death Sentence by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania vacated a convicted murderer’s death sentence after concluding that the prisoner suffered from an intellectual disability, rendering him ineligible for the death penalty. The February 5, 2018, order replaced the …

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces New Rule to Allow IAC Claims for Fine-Only Sentences

Article • July 21, 2018 • from CLN August, 2018

Filed under: Attorneys, Appeals, Sentencing

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces New Rule to Allow IAC Claims for Fine-Only Sentences by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania announced a new rule allowing post-sentencing motions raising ineffective assistance of counsel (“IAC”) claims where only a fine but no prison or probationary time is imposed. …

Dennis v. City of Philadelphia, PA, Complaint, Wrongful Conviction, 2018

Brief • June 27, 2018

Filed under: Wrongful Conviction

Dennis v. City of Philadelphia, PA, Complaint, Wrongful Conviction, 2018 t\\ ri8S Case 2:18-cv-02689-JS Document 1 Filed 06/27/18 Page 1 of 39 "« <'<• 0 "'" /<6 (! 1/- a CIVIL COVER SHEET The JS 44 c1v!l cover sheet and the mformat1on contamed herem neither replace nor supplement the fllmg …

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Holds Any Search of Cellphone Requires Warrant

Article • June 18, 2018 • from CLN July, 2018

Filed under: Search warrants, Cell Phone Access, Fourth Amendment, rights

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Holds Any Search of Cellphone Requires Warrant by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania made it clear: “If a member of law enforcement wishes to obtain information from a cellphone, get a warrant.” The Court held that turning on, as well as digging …

Philly Prosecutor’s ‘Do Not Call’ List Released; Names Cops Not to Call to the Stand

Article • June 16, 2018 • from CLN July, 2018

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Prosecutors, Witnesses

Philly Prosecutor’s ‘Do Not Call’ List Released; Names Cops Not to Call to the Stand by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis Corruption in the Philadelphia Police Department led local prosecutors to prepare a list of cops who had engaged in misconduct, including excessive force, drinking on duty, and lying to …

A Way Out: Abolishing Death by Incarceration in Pennsylvania, Abolitionist Law Center, 2018

Publication • 2018

Filed under: Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Sentencing, Parole, Alternative Sentencing, De Facto Life Sentence

A Way Out: Abolishing Death by Incarceration in Pennsylvania, Abolitionist Law Center, 2018 ABOLISHING DEATH BY INCARCERATION IN PENNSYLVANIA 1 A Report on Life-Without-Parole Sentences ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER A Way Out ABOLISHING DEATH BY INCARCERATION IN PENNSYLVANIA A Report On Life-Without-Parole Sentences 3 Abolitionist Law Center REPORT AUTHORS Quinn Cozzens, …

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules FBI Admission Microscopic Hair Analysis Wrong 90% of the Time is Newly Discovered Fact Allowing Untimely Post-Conviction Relief Petition

Article • May 15, 2018 • from CLN June, 2018

Filed under: DNA Testing/Samples, Crime Labs, Defenses

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules FBI Admission Microscopic Hair Analysis Wrong 90% of the Time is Newly Discovered Fact Allowing Untimely Post-Conviction Relief Petition by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The Pennsylvania Supreme Court allowed the post-conviction relief petition of a prisoner on death row to go forward to hearing based …

Florida Man Arrested After He Flipped Off Pittsburgh Cop; Settles First Amendment Claim for $50,000

Article • May 9, 2018

Filed under: Police, First Amendment, rights, Fourth Amendment, rights, Traffic stop

Florida Man Arrested After He Flipped Off Pittsburgh Cop; Settles First Amendment Claim for $50,000 by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis David Hackbart, a Tampa, Florida, resident, agreed to a $50,000 settlement with the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a Pittsburgh police officer, after being cited for disorderly conduct when …

Philadelphia Tests Automating the Bail Risk Assessment Process

Article • April 19, 2018 • from CLN May, 2018

Filed under: Release and Reentry, Bail

Philadelphia Tests Automating the Bail Risk Assessment Process by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Philadelphia is using part of a $3.5 million grant to create a computerized bail-risk assessment tool. The effort is part of the city’s Reentry Project. The MacArthur Foundation selected Philadelphia to take part in its …