pa-criminal-justice
Pa. House holds Philly DA Krasner in contempt for refusing to respond to select committee subpoena
(*This story was updated at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, 9/13/22, to include a House vote on the contempt resolution.) The Pennsylvania House voted Tuesday to hold Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in contempt for refusing to respond to a subpoena issued by the select committee investigating Krasner’s approach to prosecuting crime. The 162-38 vote to hold […]
COVID-19 in Philly: Criminal justice advocates mount drive-by-protest calling for mass release of inmates
Honking horns and waving protest signs, activists in a caravan of cars staged a drive-by protest outside Philadelphia City Hall and Gov. Tom Wolf’s office in Philadelphia, urging officials to sanction a mass release of inmates from state prisons, local jails, and an ICE detention center in Berks County.
Public defenders should not get fired for doing their jobs | Opinion
On February 26, 2020, Montgomery County Chief Public Defender Dean Beer and Deputy Chief Public Defender Keisha Hudson were unceremoniously and unexpectedly fired. Their termination came on the heels of the two attorneys filing an amicus brief that decried the local practice of setting bail without considering defendants’ ability to pay for their release and without their attorneys present. The brief was mysteriously retracted eight days later.