pa-courts
Commonwealth Court rules skill gaming terminals are not slot machines
The appellate court sided with POM, the developer and distributor of the machines in question, that their gaming terminals are not slot machines as the Commonwealth argued, but are instead “primarily games of skill and, thus, not gambling devices per se,” ending a years-long legal battle over how to categorize the company’s machines.
Pennsylvania’s judicial elections matter. Here’s why.
Between the intense campaigns of the midterm and presidential elections, statewide races for Pennsylvania’s appeals courts tend to take a back seat to mayoral and other local elections. In the wake of sweeping decisions on abortion and affirmative action from the U.S. Supreme Court, the power of the judiciary to alter the daily reality of […]
Trans man with felony conviction in Pa. granted name change
At the time of Hilliard’s May 2022 hearing, he was still on parole for a drug-related felony conviction. Thus, at the conclusion of the hearing, Yeager denied Hilliard’s request as premature.
Women of Pa.’s judiciary system | Five for the Weekend
Chief Justice Debra Todd is the first woman in the Pa Supreme Court's 300-year history to serve as chief justice, a post she assumed in January after the death of former-Chief Justice Max Baer in September.
Commonwealth Court opinions on Krasner impeachment ‘create more questions than answers’
Judge Michael Wojcik said it's not the Commonwealth Court's job to decide if a Senate impeachment trial of Larry Krasner should proceed.
Pa. Court rules state House special elections will be held on Feb. 7
Amid the uncertainty in the state House, Pennsylvanians got a bit of clarity Friday.
Pa.’s new congressional map is reflective of the commonwealth’s voters, justices argued
All seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices made clear their thoughts on redistricting Wednesday, as in a rare move, each released their own individual opinion outlining where they fell on the recently enacted congressional map. The court, in a February order, picked the so-called “Carter Map,” named for a group of voters represented by Democratic attorney […]
Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law has its day in Supreme Court
Roles were reversed in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday, as attorneys argued over the fate of the state’s three-year-old mail-in voting law, with lawyers for Gov. Tom Wolf arguing to protect legislative power, and lawyers for 14 dissident lawmakers arguing to undo a law that 11 of them had voted to approve. The law, […]
SCOTUS denies emergency injunction, kicks Pa. congressional map challenge back to lower court
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied an emergency request from a group of Pennsylvania Republicans seeking to block the commonwealth’s new congressional map. The one-page order issued Monday evening, instead keeps the case, whose plaintiffs include two GOP congressional hopefuls, in front of a panel of three U.S. district judges. The order did not note […]
County party committee members can start collecting signatures, Pa. high court rules
These officials will have until March 15 to get their signatures, aligning with congressional and statewide candidates, the high court said.
GOP appeals to SCOTUS to overturn new Pa. congressional map
A group of Pennsylvania voters, including two Republican congressional candidates, are asking for the U.S. Supreme Court to override the state Supreme Court’s choice for the commonwealth’s new congressional map. Ending months of uncertainty, justices picked a map last week submitted by a national group aligned with the Democratic Party, and represented by Democratic attorney […]
Pa. courts system says it intends to ‘fully comply’ with ADA, following DOJ letter detailing violations
The DOJ letter followed a federal investigation that was sparked by three legal complaints - two in Jefferson County and one in Northumberland County - where complainants alleged that the courts required them to stop taking treatment medication for Opioid Use Disorder in order to graduate from drug court programs.