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…
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…
Does the Second Amendment Protect Sending Guns Out of the Country? The Third Circuit Says No
A man walks into a sporting goods store in Monroeville and buys a handgun. Perfectly legal. He comes back and buys another. Still legal. Over about ten weeks he buys nine 9mm pistols in all — and…
When Your Phone Is the Weapon: Commonwealth v. Hernandez and the Reach of the PIC Statute
A man sends a woman threatening messages, nude photographs, and videos over Facebook and Instagram. When she blocks him, he builds new accounts and starts again. He is charged with stalking. He is…
Right Claim, Wrong Motion: Three Superior Court Decisions on Procedure
On July 31, 2026, the Pennsylvania Superior Court issued three precedential criminal decisions that have nothing to do with each other on the surface. One involves probation termination, one…
What Happens When a Judge Actually Enforces the 30-Day Pretrial Motion Deadline
Every defense lawyer in Pennsylvania knows the rule. Every defense lawyer in Pennsylvania also knows that in a lot of counties, the rule is not really the rule. Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal…