Legal Articles, Constitutional Law
A CONVICTION ISN'T ALWAYS THE LAST WORD. Appeals and PCRA petitions are real second chances — with brutal deadlines. Move fast.
The jury came back wrong, the sentence came down heavy, or the lawyer at trial missed things a lawyer shouldn't miss. Pennsylvania law builds in second chances — direct appeal to the Superior Court, post-sentence motions, and the Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) — but every one of them runs on a clock, and the clocks are unforgiving. The single most important sentence on this page: appellate deadlines are measured in days, not months.
FIRST-OFFENSE DUI IN PA: WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS
A first DUI feels like the end of the world at 2 a.m. in the back of a cruiser. It isn't. Thousands of Pennsylvanians go through this every year, and for most first offenders the case ends far better than they feared — if they make good decisions early. Here's the honest walkthrough.
THE PA LICENSE TO CARRY — BY THE ATTORNEY WHO WROTE THE CLE
Few areas of Pennsylvania law generate more confusion — and more accidental felonies — than carrying a concealed firearm. Attorney Mergl wrote the permitting, background check, and police-interaction chapters of NBI's Concealed Carry Law (Pennsylvania edition) and Carrying Concealed Firearms in Pennsylvania, the continuing legal education materials attorneys use to learn this area. What follows is the framework every PA gun owner should understand.
New Senior Driver License Rules Take Effect July 2025: What Pennsylvania Drivers Need to Know
Starting in July 2025, a new federal law will change how older Americans renew their driver’s licenses and Pennsylvania seniors should take note.
With the senior population growing, this law aims to balance public safety with individual independence, especially as age-related changes like slower reaction times and vision issues may affect driving ability.
Who can serve as Guardian?
According to Mental Hygiene Law § 81.03, there are different types of guardians, and this article provides you with a brief summary of the types of guardians in New York.
Applying for a Religious Exemption for COVID-19 Mandated Vaccination
Millions of Americans work for private companies that are mandated all employees receive the COVID-19 vaccination before December 8, 2021. These corporations must allow exemptions from the vaccine based on sincerely held religious objections. The forms for seeking a religious exemption, however, can be minefields. The wrong claim and even the wrong wording to support such a claim may lead to a denial.
San Antonio News Article
San Antonio News printed the article and interviewed Michael Greer and Shane Langston as counsel for the Conservatorship.
The Dark Scanner; and Your Rights
The expansion of facial recognition technology is moving faster than the law can keep up with.
CAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT BAN HOMEOWNER FROM DISPLAYING POLITICAL BANNERS WITH CURSE WORDS
A Roselle Park, New Jersey Municipal Court Judge, Gary Bundy, recently ruled that Patricia Dilascio, a homeowner, violated a local ordinance by displaying various banners in her backyard stating, “Fuck Biden,” “Socialism Sucks Biden Blows,” “Fuck Biden, Not My President” Another banner read, “Fuck Biden” with a picture of Donald Trump raising both of his middle fingers. Bundy ordered the homeowner to remove the signs with “profanities” within a week or face a $250-a-day fine. Did Bundy’s order violate the homeowner’s First Amendment right of Free Speech? Most likely
COVID-19 Provincial and municipal park ban in Nova Scotia unjustifiably treads on liberty rights
Article from April 6, 2020
Public parks are essential public spaces. In ordinary times, they are places where people gather, play with kids, walk and play with dogs, play games with friends and strangers in the community, run, bike and express themselves. They are crucial spaces for community cohesion. But these are not ordinary times. People cannot gather in groups of more than five, and cannot come closer than two metres to each other. Some people are not allowed out at all due to self-isolation or quarantine orders.
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