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Pennsylvania Supreme Court to decide constitutionality of mandatory life imprisonment for felony murder

JURIST

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced Friday that it will hear an appeal from Derek Lee, a man convicted of second-degree murder who is challenging the state’s law requiring mandatory life prison sentences for those found guilty of the offense who did not intend to kill.

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Pennsylvania governor will continue state death penalty moratorium

JURIST

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Thursday announced that he will not issue execution warrants while in office, thus continuing a moratorium on the death penalty in Pennsylvania. The governor also called on the PA General Assembly to abolish the death penalty in Pennsylvania.

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Pennsylvania inmates sue state corrections department over ‘torturous’ solitary confinement conditions

JURIST

A group of five Pennsylvania inmates sued the state’s Department of Corrections and its employees, according to a Tuesday announcement from the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project. The lawsuit, filed last week, alleges severe mental health consequences stemming from the use of solitary confinement in Pennsylvania prisons.

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Pennsylvania federal court rules election official should count undated mail-in ballots

JURIST

A federal court in Pennsylvania ruled that undated mail-in ballots must be counted in a Monday decision that could significantly influence future elections in the state. The post Pennsylvania federal court rules election official should count undated mail-in ballots appeared first on JURIST - News.

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Pennsylvania appeals court finds housing authority cannot deny assistance to certain former criminal defendants

JURIST

An appeals court in Pennsylvania affirmed a trial court ruling on Thursday which held that welfare fraud and outstanding restitution balance cannot be used to justify the denial of housing assistance. The decision signaled a win for applicants seeking housing vouchers in Pennsylvania.

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Pennsylvania court declares state mail-in voting law unconstitutional

JURIST

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania Friday declared unconstitutional Pennsylvania’s “no-excuse mail-in voting law,” which permits voters to cast their ballots by mail without providing an excuse for their absence. Article XIII-D was added by Act 77, which provides that “any qualified elector may vote by mail.”

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“Thousands of Pennsylvania Ballots Will Be Tossed on a Technicality. Thank SCOTUS.”

HowAppealing

“Thousands of Pennsylvania Ballots Will Be Tossed on a Technicality. Thank SCOTUS.” ” Law professor Richard L. Hasen , founder of the “ Election Law Blog ,” has this Jurisprudence essay online at Slate.

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