In a precedential opinion in Fields v. City of Philadelphia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled today that the recording of police during the discharge of their official duties is protected by the First Amendment. To read Fields, click here. If you enjoyed this post, check out this article about criminal defense. […]
Sec. 1983 Action Based on the 4th Amendment
On March 21, 2017, in Manuel v. City of Joliet, 580 U.S. _ (2017), the United States Supreme Court, in a majority opinion authored by Justice Kagen, ruled that in a Section 1983 action (a federal cause of action for “the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution”), a plaintiff can challenge pretrial […]
PA’s Ethnic Intimidation Law Struck Down
The Pennsylvania Superme Court has affirmed and adopted the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court’s 2007 decision in Marcavage v. Rendell, striking down Pennsylvania’s Ethnic Intimidation Law, 18 Pa.C.S. 2710. The ethnic intimidation law was struck down as a violation of Article III, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which requires that “[n]o law shall be passed except […]