The Collective-Knowledge Doctrine

This was a discretionary appeal to the Pa. Supreme Court.  The issue at hand in this case concerns what is called the “collective-knowledge doctrine,” or what is otherwise known as the…


Comm. v. Wright, 2018 PA Super 13 (Jan. 26, 2018)

This is an appeal out of Delaware County.  It involves a DUI charge from 1990 and the application of Rule 600.  (Rule 600 is a Rule of Criminal Procedure that provides a remedy for a speedy-trial…


Comm. v. McClellan, 2018 PA Super 14 (Jan. 26, 2018)

This was an appeal out of Montgomery County.  McClellan was a parolee, and he was swept up in a “sweep of local bars” by his parole officer.  The parole officer spotted McClellan exiting a bar at…


Comm. v. Raglin, 2018 PA Super 12 (Jan. 23, 2018)

This was an appeal out of Allegheny County.  The issue presented to the Superior Court concerned the use of “Shot Spotter” technology and its factoring into an analysis of whether there is reasonable…


Comm. v. Edwards, 2018 PA Super 9 (Jan. 19, 2018)

This was an appeal out of Philadelphia County addressing a Batson challenge.  (The term Batson challenge comes from the U.S. Supreme Court case of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), which held…


Comm. v. Motley, 2018 PA Super 8 (Jan. 19, 2018)

This was an appeal out of Philadelphia County, and the lead up to the appeal was this.  Antoine Motley had been given a sentence of 15 to 30 years imprisonment followed by 10 years of probation on…


Comm. v. Davison, 2018 PA Super 7 (Jan. 18, 2018)

This was an appeal out of Allegheny County. Shawn Davison had been convicted of robbery and harassment.  On appeal he complained that he was convicted of robbery without sufficient evidence.…


Comm. v. Tyrrell, 2018 PA Super 5 (Jan. 17, 2018)

This was an appeal out of Dauphin County.  Jonathan Tyrrel was convicted and sentenced to 50 to 100 years’ imprisonment on charges of raping his then eight-year-old daughter. On appeal, Tyrrell…


“There’s no evidence. There’s no proof.”

For people involved in the American justice system for the first time—be it civil or criminal—there’s a prevailing belief that if the opposing side doesn’t have pictures, video, DNA, or some other…