legal-issues
DACA in doubt after federal court ruling: 3 questions answered | Analysis
President Joe Biden has said his administration will appeal the ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately could take the case.
Mr. Justice Breyer, Thank you for your service. Now please retire | Bruce Ledewitz
Breyer will not change the law by remaining on the court. But he might do so by resigning.
Allegheny Co. President Judge Kim Clark says systemic racism exists in courts
Clark, who has served as a judge since 1999, and as president judge since 2018, is the first Black person to hold the top position in Allegheny County history.
Yes, Allegheny Co. DA Zappala should resign or be impeached. No, he shouldn’t be the target of legal discipline | Bruce Ledewitz
Even if you think Zappala should stay in office, you should still want that decision to rest with the political branches of government.
Pa. to receive $225M from Sackler family opioid settlement
This story was updated at 2:50 p.m. on 7/8/21 to correct a spelling error. Pennsylvania is poised to receive $225 million over the next nine years in damages related to the opioid epidemic in a bankruptcy settlement with the family who owned Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin. The settlement comes after 24 states, including […]
More than 30 states join lawsuit accusing Google of anti-competitive practices
Iowa is among 36 states suing Google over allegations the tech firm is operating a monopoly with its app store and Google Billing. In the Midwest, Minnesota, Missouri, Minnesota and South Dakota also are involved with the lawsuit, Utah v. Google. The states claim Google paid off competitors and used contracts to create a monopoly for its app store […]
Pa. state prison inmates mount hunger strike, calling for end to solitary confinement
The hunger strike is in response to what advocates call inhumane torture in solitary confinement
Alle. Co. DA Zappala faces rising criticism over reports he retaliated against Black attorney
Ed Gainey, the Democratic nominee for Pittsburgh mayor, has joined the chorus of voices calling for an investigation into Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala.
States, including Pa., pick judges very differently from U.S. Supreme Court appointments | Opinion
What can the politically fraught U.S. Supreme Court learn from the way that states select their judges?
Why this trial was different: Experts react to guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin | Opinion
Scholars of policing, law and race explain the landmark guilty verdicts handed down in the trial for the murder of George Floyd.
‘We are the victims’: Pa. House, Senate bills would ban gay, trans-panic defense
Thirteen other states have already moved to ban this dehumanizing defense tactic in criminal cases.
Lawmakers want to use emergency powers to pass sexual abuse reform. Can they find the votes to pull it off?
The margin for error is slim. To invoke the emergency powers, the House and Senate will need two-thirds agreement on a measure that has eluded action for years.