Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf recently signed six new lbills into laws. All of them are designed, at least in theory, to give the victims of crime more rights during trials. The problem is that some of those bills may be taking rights away from the defendants in the...
Criminal Defense
A new bill may prevent repeat DUI offenders from driving again
Pennsylvania state lawmakers recently passed a bill that calls for stiffer penalties for those who are convicted of two or more driving under the influence (DUI) offenses. Now families of victims who have lost their lives in drunk driving crashes are championing...
What happens if I drive on a suspended license?
Last year, you made a stupid mistake. You were out at a bar with friends. You ended up drinking more than you’d expected, but you still decided to chance it and drive yourself home. Fortunately, you didn’t get into an accident, and nobody got injured, but...
Reckless driving? Here’s what you need to know
If you are going 90 on a 60-mph highway, you could be charged with reckless driving. The same goes for texting while driving. The state of Pennsylvania takes reckless driving seriously, which makes it come with fairly heavy consequences. According to the National...
The legal implications of a frat house fight
It happens at almost every college party at least once. It's late. Everyone's been drinking heavily, and inhibitions are slow. Suddenly, someone erupts into anger over a perceived offense by another person. They start to argue, and before you know it, they're rolling...
What are your rights when your friend loans you their car?
You and your friend decide to go on vacation to Florida together. You fly to Ford Lauderdale, and your friend rents a car. It's cheaper if you only put one driver on the rental contract, so you agree to keep yourself off of it. But then one night you go out to a club,...
Could I face civil and criminal charges for the same offense?
The majority of personal injury cases involve negligence--e.g., a doctor failing to properly diagnose a patient, or a driver falling asleep at the wheel--which results in pain and suffering for the plaintiff. However, some types of personal injury are inflicted...
Reasonable suspicion vs. probable cause
If you've ever been arrested, it's important to be able to gauge whether the police treated you in accordance with the law. The terms "reasonable suspicion" and "probable cause" are key concepts to understand. What is reasonable suspicion? If a police officer has...
Criminal record becomes less of a barrier to employment
In a previous post, we discussed some of the ways a criminal record can create challenges for a person throughout their life. It has been widely understood that a criminal record-which anyone who has ever been arrested has, regardless of whether they are convicted-can...
Can police bias impact drug-sniffing dogs?
In a recent study, researchers examined drug-sniffing dogs and their handlers. They conducted an experiment in which handlers were sent with their dogs into different environments to seek out drugs. In certain instances, the handlers were led to believe that the...
