In Pennsylvania, Marijuana is categorized as a Schedule I drug under the PA Drug and Device and Cosmetic Act. This means that State College does not recognize any medical usage for marijuana. Marijuana offenses are categorized in 2 major...

In the age of digital media and cellular devices, constant information and correspondence is circulated among individuals. In fact, according to recent statistics, there are nearly 224.3 smartphone users in the United States, with approximately 2...

1) What is “Per se?” “Per se” is a Latin phrase that means “by itself.” In Pennsylvania, evidence that a person drove, operated or was in control of a motor vehicle with a BAC of 0.08% or higher is enough by itself to convict a person of...

PA Governor Tom Wolf on Oct. 24, 2018 signed approval upon Act 95 which was enacted from PA House Bill 163 to amend Titles 4 (Amusements), 18 (Crimes and Offenses), and 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes in relation to the...

PA Governor Tom Wolf on Friday Oct. 19 signed into law new criminal penalties for hazing in light of the death of Beta Theta Pi pledge Timothy Piazza.   Present for Wolf’s signature of PA Senate Bill 1090 included Tim’s parents Jim and...

Centre County Judge Grine vacates order and grants suppression On June 23, Judge Jonathan D. Grine of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas vacated his earlier Order which denied a defendant’s suppression motion. The earlier Order was based on...

PA Superior Court: Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Statue Unconstitutional Last week, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that mandatory minimum sentencing statutes are unconstitutional. A mandatory minimum sentence is the minimum time a judge must...

Blockbuster Ruling From Third Circuit Regarding Admissibility of Prior Bad Acts Evidence The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided a significant case involving prior bad acts evidence under Rule 404(b) and the exclusion of prejudicial...

Pennsylvania Representative Introduces Federal Marijuana Bill Representative Scott Perry, a Republican from York County, Pennsylvania, recently introduced a bill to legalize certain strains of marijuana for therapeutic purposes. The...

DAVIS V. ALASKA – The Right To Cross-Examination Cross-Examination has been famously described as “the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of truth.” At trial, cross-examination is the primary way to test, inspect,...