By Alexa Glista, Features Editor The legalization of marijuana for recreational use has happened in 18 states and the District of Columbia.[1] The question is whether Pennsylvania will be the 19th. While a majority of Pennsylvania voters support the legalization and regulated sale of marijuana, the state’s laws are among the most […]
By Jacob Schramm, Staff Writer On the same day that the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood collapsed, President Joe Biden was in the city promoting his legislative agenda.[1] In his address that day, he promised that the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would give state and […]
By Felicia Dusha, Staff Writer Is a fifty year to life sentence imposed upon a juvenile whose crime reflects transient immaturity a de facto life without parole sentence? In 2019, this issue went before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Commonwealth v. Felder.[1]On February 23, 2022, two years after Felder had brough the case […]
By Anabelle Nietupski, Web Editor The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is beginning to formally address the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other intellectual disabilities through the advocacy of a taskforce aimed at increasing accessibility.[1] Specifically, issues stem “[f]rom unnecessary confrontations with police to uninformed judges and needless incarceration” leaving […]
By David McPeak, Editor in Chief In 2019, Act 77 established no-excuse absentee voting in Pennsylvania. The law provided opportunity for Pennsylvania electors to cast an absentee ballot without having to provide one of the enumerated excuses in the Pennsylvania Constitution for why they must be absent from their polling place on […]
By Regan Jarvis, Staff Writer In 2021 alone, over 3,000 bills were introduced into the House and Senate and 100 laws were enacted in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[1] One of those laws, identified as Act 88 of 2021, may have flown under the radar if it were not a swift response […]
Image via unsplash.com By David McPeak, Editor in Chief Should Americans prepare for abortion policy to return to the legislative realm? Currently, the United States Supreme Court is considering whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, which, in 1973, held that states have insufficient interest in the life of an unborn child […]
Image via Pixabay.com By Anabelle Nietupski, Web Editor Suddenly we are living in a time where vaccination status is a political, religious, social, and moral statement. Thus, this status has begun to reach into every aspect of modern life, including the law. Looking to the area of family law, the […]
Image via unsplash.com By Alexa Glista, Features Editor On Sept. 1, 2021, Texas’s new controversial anti-abortion law, Senate Bill 8, went into effect. Senate Bill 8, referred to as the “Heartbeat Bill”, prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for incest or rape.[1] These restrictions on abortion have […]
Photo courtesy of unsplash.com By Hannah Schaffer, Features Editor Many agree that the first weeks of a child’s life are fundamental to their development. However, the United States does not offer universal federal paid parental leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is the closest policy the United States […]
