Pennsylvania Case Commentaries

Traffic-Stop Safety Rule: Police May Temporarily Secure a Firearm in Plain View and Within the Driver’s Reach Without First Determining Licensure

Date: Feb 20, 2026

Traffic-Stop Safety Rule: Police May Temporarily Secure a Firearm in Plain View and Within the Driver’s Reach Without First Determining Licensure Commonwealth v. Hawkins-Davenport (Pa. Feb. 18, 2026)...

Section 205 Co-Employee Immunity Turns on “Scope of Employment” Under the Workers’ Compensation Act

Date: Feb 20, 2026

Section 205 Co-Employee Immunity Turns on “Scope of Employment” Under the Workers’ Compensation Act 1. Introduction Brown, J. v. Gaydos, G. arises from a workplace injury suffered by John Brown, who...

Pa.R.E. 403 Bars Police Interrogation Commentary on a Defendant’s Credibility as Irrelevant and Unfairly Prejudicial (Commonwealth v. Malcolm)

Date: Feb 20, 2026

Pa.R.E. 403 Bars Police Interrogation Commentary on a Defendant’s Credibility as Irrelevant and Unfairly Prejudicial (Commonwealth v. Malcolm) Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (Eastern District) —...

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Approval Framework for Attorney Trust-Account Depositories and IOLTA Participation

Date: Feb 13, 2026

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Approval Framework for Attorney Trust-Account Depositories and IOLTA Participation Introduction In Re: Financial Institutions Approved as Depositories for Fiduciary...

Pa.R.D.E. Rule 222: Mandatory Judicial-Service Reporting, Post-Service Status Election, and Disciplinary Screening for Judges Leaving Office Under Adverse Circumstances

Date: Feb 13, 2026

Pa.R.D.E. Rule 222: Mandatory Judicial-Service Reporting, Post-Service Status Election, and Disciplinary Screening for Judges Leaving Office Under Adverse Circumstances Court: Supreme Court of...

PCRA Timeliness: “Newly Discovered Facts” Must Match the Claim—For Brady, the Predicate Fact Is Suppression (Not Merely a Confession)

Date: Jan 31, 2026

PCRA Timeliness: “Newly Discovered Facts” Must Match the Claim—For Brady, the Predicate Fact Is Suppression (Not Merely a Confession) Introduction Commonwealth v. Brown arises from Jamie M. Brown’s...

Pennsylvania Rule 404(b) After Walker: Abrogation of the “Logical Connection” Test and a Proposed Narrow “Unlinked Plan” Framework

Date: Jan 31, 2026

Pennsylvania Rule 404(b) After Commonwealth v. Walker: Abrogation of the “Logical Connection” Test and a Proposed Narrow “Unlinked Plan” Framework Scope note: The provided text is Justice Dougherty’s...

Abrogation of the “Logical Connection” Test for Pa.R.E. 404(b) “Plan” Evidence and a Forethought-Based Approach to Consolidation

Date: Jan 31, 2026

Abrogation of the “Logical Connection” Test for Pa.R.E. 404(b) “Plan” Evidence and a Forethought-Based Approach to Consolidation Case: Commonwealth v. Walker (Justice Dougherty, Concurring and...

Abrogation of the “Logical Connection” Test Under Pa.R.E. 404(b) and a Narrower Conception of “Plan” in Consolidated Sexual-Assault Trials

Date: Jan 31, 2026

Abrogation of the “Logical Connection” Test Under Pa.R.E. 404(b) and a Narrower Conception of “Plan” in Consolidated Sexual-Assault Trials 1. Introduction Commonwealth v. Walker came to the Supreme...

Creating Municipality’s Continuing Right to Compel Conveyance of Authority Projects Under MAA §§ 5619(a) & 5622(a), Despite Board Recomposition

Date: Jan 22, 2026

Creating Municipality’s Continuing Right to Compel Conveyance of Authority Projects Under MAA §§ 5619(a) & 5622(a), Despite Board Recomposition Commentary on Justice Mundy’s concurring and dissenting...

Orders Compelling Common Law Arbitration and Staying Litigation Are Not Immediately Appealable Collateral Orders in Pennsylvania

Date: Jan 22, 2026

Orders Compelling Common Law Arbitration and Staying Litigation Are Not Immediately Appealable Collateral Orders in Pennsylvania I. Introduction In Chilutti, S. v. Uber; Apl. of Uber, the Supreme...

RETSL Section 607 Permits Pre-Confirmation Equitable Challenges, Including Grossly Inadequate Upset-Sale Price (Dougherty, J., concurring and dissenting)

Date: Jan 22, 2026

RETSL Section 607 Permits Pre-Confirmation Equitable Challenges, Including Grossly Inadequate Upset-Sale Price (Dougherty, J., concurring and dissenting) 1. Introduction Case: In re: Upset Sale, Tax...

MAA §5622(a) Conveyance Power Turns on Present Municipal Power/Control After §5610(a.1) Board Reconstitution

Date: Jan 22, 2026

MAA §5622(a) Conveyance Power Turns on Present Municipal Power/Control After §5610(a.1) Board Reconstitution Case: In re: Chester Water Authority Trust (multiple consolidated appeals) Court: Supreme...

Creating Municipality’s Continuing Power to Compel Project Conveyance Under MAA § 5622(a) Despite § 5610(a.1) Board Expansion (Mundy, J., concurring and dissenting)

Date: Jan 22, 2026

Creating Municipality’s Continuing Power to Compel Project Conveyance Under MAA § 5622(a) Despite § 5610(a.1) Board Expansion (Mundy, J., concurring and dissenting) 1. Introduction This Pennsylvania...

MAA § 5622(a) Conveyance Power Depends on Present Municipal Authority to Operate the “Project,” Not Mere Status as Creating Municipality

Date: Jan 22, 2026

MAA § 5622(a) Conveyance Power Depends on Present Municipal Authority to Operate the “Project,” Not Mere Status as Creating Municipality Introduction This Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision arises...

Section 5622(a) Conveyance Power Turns on Present Municipal Authority After Section 5610(a.1) Board Recomposition

Date: Jan 22, 2026

Section 5622(a) Conveyance Power Turns on Present Municipal Authority After Section 5610(a.1) Board Recomposition Case: In re: Chester Water Authority Trust (appeals consolidated) Court: Supreme...

All Expert Manner-of-Death Opinions Must Be Stated to a Reasonable Degree of Certainty (No “Probable” Exception)

Date: Jan 22, 2026

All Expert Manner-of-Death Opinions Must Be Stated to a Reasonable Degree of Certainty (No “Probable” Exception) 1) Introduction Commonwealth v. Fitzpatrick is a high-profile homicide prosecution...

Section 5622(a) MAA: A Creating Municipality’s Unilateral Conveyance Power Turns on Present Power to Operate the “Project”

Date: Jan 22, 2026

Section 5622(a) MAA: A Creating Municipality’s Unilateral Conveyance Power Turns on Present Power to Operate the “Project” 1. Introduction Parties and setting. These consolidated matters concern...

Dynamic Conveyance Power Under MAA § 5622(a): Creation Alone Does Not Preserve a Municipality’s Unilateral Right to Acquire an Authority’s Projects After Board Reconstitution

Date: Jan 22, 2026

Dynamic Conveyance Power Under MAA § 5622(a): Creation Alone Does Not Preserve a Municipality’s Unilateral Right to Acquire an Authority’s Projects After Board Reconstitution I. Introduction In re:...

MAA § 5622(a) Conveyance Power Turns on Present Municipal Power to Operate—Not Perpetual “Creator” Control After Multi-County Board Expansion

Date: Jan 22, 2026

MAA § 5622(a) Conveyance Power Turns on Present Municipal Power to Operate—Not Perpetual “Creator” Control After Multi-County Board Expansion Introduction This Pennsylvania Supreme Court matter...

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