Can a Police Officer Testify That He Saw a Drug Deal? Commonwealth v. James and the Third Circuit's Evans Decision
In almost every street-level drug case, the key witness is a narcotics officer who watched the defendant from a distance. The officer describes what he saw: short conversations, money going one way,…
When Google Reports You to the Police: Commonwealth v. Thomas and the Private Search Rule
Most child sexual abuse material cases in Pennsylvania no longer start with a police investigation. They start with a tech company. Google, Facebook, and other online providers run systems that scan…
When Does Dropping a Gun Count as Abandoning It? Two Pennsylvania Decisions, Two Days Apart
Two men in Philadelphia got rid of a gun near a parked vehicle as police came toward them. Both ran. Both were caught. Both were charged with firearms offenses, and in both cases a judge of the Court…
Tried Without Him: What Notice of a Trial Term Requires in Pennsylvania
A defendant stands in a Lancaster County courtroom at the call of the criminal list and hears the judge say his case will be tried during the two-week term that begins October 9. October 9 turns out…
Machine Guns, Visa Holders, and an Officer's Mistake: Three Third Circuit Decisions From One Day
On September 1, 2026, the Third Circuit published three precedential criminal opinions. Two are Second Amendment cases decided under the Bruen framework. The third is a Fourth Amendment case about…
Can You Be Convicted of a Crime the Information Never Charged? Commonwealth v. Blackston
The criminal information is the document that tells a defendant what he is on trial for. In Pennsylvania, it is filed after the preliminary hearing or grand jury and lists each offense the…
Who Has to Register, and Who Can Argue Their Way Out: Three Superior Court Decisions in Two Days
Pennsylvania's sex-offender registration laws have been the among the most heavily litigated statutes for thirty years. Four versions of Megan's Law and two versions of SORNA — the Sex Offender…
Does Pennsylvania's Overdose Immunity Law Cover What Police Find in Your Car?
Someone overdoses. A bystander calls 911. Police and paramedics arrive, the person is revived, and everybody leaves the scene alive. That is exactly what Pennsylvania's medical amnesty law was built…
Five From One Day: What the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Decided in July
On a single day last month — July 21, 2026 — the Pennsylvania Supreme Court handed down five criminal decisions. Four of the five turn on the same underlying question, asked in four different…
A Confession Without a Question, a Search Without a Card: Four New Superior Court Decisions
The Pennsylvania Superior Court published four criminal decisions in three days last week. Here is what is in them. A parole agent handcuffs a parolee, reads him the new allegations against him, and…