Justice & The Courts
Records show Allegheny County Medical Examiner did not perform full autopsy on incarcerated man
Daniel Pastorek died nearly three years ago, on Thanksgiving Day, 2020, in a mental health unit in the Allegheny County Jail. He struggled with housing and suffered from schizophrenia. He was arrested and booked at the jail after failing to appear for an appeal in magistrate’s court on a public drunkenness case. He was 63 years old. […]
Menendez, other U.S. Senate Democrats vent frustrations after new ruling against DACA
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Wednesday declared illegal the Biden administration’s revised version of a program that protects hundreds of thousands of people brought into the country as children from deportation, and U.S. Senate Democrats, advocates and the White House on Thursday decried the decision. “I think that Congress should act, but it has been […]
Convicted killer Cavalcante, who evaded Pa. State Police for two weeks, is captured
A border patrol dog pinned down escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante on Wednesday morning before state police and federal agents arrested him in a rural part of Chester County, ending a manhunt that kept residents on edge for two weeks. Television news showed Cavalcante, who was convicted last month of stabbing his girlfriend to death in […]
Philly Rep. Jared Solomon joins Democratic primary race for attorney general nomination
Solomon, a Democrat serving his fourth term in the state House, said that as attorney general he would expand to a statewide level his work to invest in neighborhoods and hold businesses accountable for the harm they cause.
U.S. House Speaker McCarthy tells committees to launch Biden impeachment probe
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday announced that he has directed several House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into unproven GOP allegations that President Joe Biden profited from his son’s business dealings when he was vice president in the Obama administration. “These allegations paint a picture, a picture of corruption,” […]
In the face of a call to ban skill games, Pa.’s biggest player is pushing back hard
For nearly a decade, Georgia-based Pace-O-Matic has been fighting to cement the legitimacy of a billion dollar gambling business that has flourished in the back rooms of bars and social clubs across Pennsylvania. Pace-O-Matic is the state’s leading distributor of skill games – slot machine-like devices that allow users to pay to play a game […]
Judge rejects Meadows’ bid to move Georgia 2020 election racketeering case to federal court
Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows suffered a legal setback Friday afternoon when a federal judge ordered that his Fulton County election interference case remain in state court. U.S. District Court Steve Jones’ decision to reject Meadows’ attempt to thwart the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office sweeping racketeering and conspiracy case […]
U.S. Justice Department asks Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use. The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme […]
Court orders re-evaluation of special counsel’s access to Rep. Scott Perry’s phone
A federal appeals court on Tuesday told a lower court to re-evaluate its ruling that gave Justice Department officials access to most of the data on U.S. Rep. Scott Perry’s cell phone in their investigation of the attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Perry, R-10th District, asked the court to reverse a lower court’s decision […]
New federal water pollution rule draws mixed reaction
A federal rule limiting agencies’ power to regulate water pollution will severely restrict protections for waters and wetlands throughout the country, but could also be subject to challenges from conservative groups that maintain the new rule exerts more federal jurisdiction than the U.S. Supreme Court intended in a May decision. With the rule published last […]
Trump pleads not guilty, waives arraignment in Georgia 2020 election interference case
Former President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea on Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court on 13 felony counts that charge him with racketeering for attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. In the court filing on Thursday, Trump also voluntarily waived his right to an arraignment hearing scheduled for Wednesday in […]
Cities are embracing teen curfews, though they might not curb crime
In response to growing public concern over crime, cities and counties throughout the United States are returning to a familiar tool: curfews for young people. Proponents argue curfews curb crime and protect youth by keeping them off the streets. But research suggests curfews are ineffective, and some juvenile justice advocates and experts warn of unintended […]