By Elizabeth Echard, Staff Writer Since 1966, 1,077 victims, ranging from the unborn to the elderly, have been killed in America in mass shootings.[1] While no universally accepted definition for “mass shooting” exists, these statistics look to the 150 shootings in America where four or more people were killed by […]
Juris Blog
The Constitutionality of Launching Sticky GPS Darts During a High-Speed Car Chase
By Amy Kerlin, Staff Writer On the multiple occasions that the United States Supreme Court opined about vehicles and the Fourth Amendment, it considered competing policy interests like officer safety or an individual’s privacy rights. These frequently clashing policy interests come to the forefront in the realm of high-speed pursuit […]
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Calls “Implied Consent” DUI Law into Question
By Kyle Steenland, Associate Editor Pennsylvania’s driving under the influence laws may be unconstitutional after a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court holding. The Court interpreted the constitutionality of “implied consent” roadway statutes – to which vehicle operators automatically consent by simply using that state’s roads – and their interaction with accidents […]
How a Court Determines Custody: The Sixteen Factors that Decide a Child’s Future
By Mariah Mandy, Staff Writer A child’s custody is a weighty decision with lasting effects. The role a parent plays influences the child’s environment, which undoubtedly impacts a child’s development. Recognizing the significance of these decisions, the Pennsylvania legislature passed The Child Custody Act.[1] Included in the statute is a […]
President Trump Pushes “Right-to-Try” Law for Grievously Ailing Patients
By Brandon Schall, Staff Writer For years, many patients, doctors, healthcare advocates, and families of patients with terminally ill diagnoses have been pushing for a federal law that would allow terminally ill patients the Right to Try experimental drugs that are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration […]
Rags to Bridges: Pittsburgh’s Climb Out of Financial Distress
By Samantha Cook, Staff Writer In 2003, the City of Pittsburgh filed for the status of a “financially distressed municipality.” Now, over 14 years later, Mayor Peduto is celebrating its exit from Pennsylvania’s Act 47 program. The Pennsylvania Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, otherwise known as Act 47, was a program […]
The Mueller Indictment
By David Zvirman, Staff Writer On Friday, February 16, 2018, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian companies for their involvement in meddling in U.S. elections, specifically the 2016 presidential election.[1] While there is currently an ongoing public debate about the extent of […]
Legal Resources for Working Mothers Who Breastfeed
By Natalie Tupta, Staff Writer One of the most important bipartisan political issues today is finding ways to support working parents by adopting policies that allow parents to both care for their children physically and financially. Women’s health and career needs are at the heart of this dialogue, because working […]
Attack on Public Sector Unions Positions First Amendment Against Workers
By Katherine Enright One case pending before the Supreme Court of the United States this term has the potential to disrupt the functioning of unions all around the country. On September 28, 2017, the Court granted certiorari in the matter of Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal […]
Leaving on a Jet Plane, but only before January
By Jennifer Carter, Staff Writer By now, most Pennsylvania residents have heard the news that their Pennsylvania license or identification card will be unacceptable to gain admittance onto planes and into federal buildings or military bases, beginning January 22, 2018.[1] But as can happen with multi-layered bureaucratic issues, there is a […]
2016 Best Legal Blog Nominee
