Philadelphia Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Celebrity and other news stories about arrests, as well as posts about crime trends being addressed by state legislatures and the federal government.

Author: Marc Neff is a solo practitioner with offices in Philadelphia and Westmont, N.J.

Blawg Related Categories: Criminal Justice • Legislation & Lobbying • States • Pennsylvania • Solo / Small Firm

Recent Posts from Philadelphia Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

New Jersey Superior Court Finds Standard of Reasonable Suspicion Necessary to Search Student's Vehicle
The Superior Court of New Jersey recently upheld a conviction of a high school student for possession of a controlled dangerous substance, distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, and distribution within 1,000 feet of a…
Harsher Penalties for Manufacturing a Controlled Substance than Simply Possessing the Same Quantity, Upheld By Pennsylvania Superior Court
Lancaster County Police were responding to a noise complaint when they found the defendant, Shawn Van Aulen, outside of his apartment with a bag of marijuana in his hand. The officers conducted a search of…
Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules Reliability of a Confidential Informant is a Factor when Determining Reasonable Suspicion
The Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled recently in the case of Commonwealth v. Brown, regarding a police stop and seizure based on information obtained from a confidential informant. Thomas Brown was stopped by police in the…
Philadelphia Teen Sentenced to 25-50 Years in Prison for Attempted Murder of Philadelphia Police Officers
A Philadelphia teenager was sentenced this week for an incident which occurred last November in which two Philadelphia Police officers were wounded. The teenager was a run-away who was living illegally in a Northeast Philadelphia;…
United States Supreme Court Denies Motions of Obese Ohio Man Sentenced to Death
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the Federal Government, and as such State Governments, via the Fourteenth Amendment, from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments for people charged…
New Jersey Man Sentenced to Six-Years in Federal Prison for Role in Heroin Ring
A Pennsauken, New Jersey resident was sentenced earlier this week for his role in a Philadelphia area heroin ring in 2005 and 2006. The heroin sold by Castellar and his associates was laced with a…
Pennsylvania Superior Court Upholds Mandatory Minimum Sentence for Man Convicted on Multiple Counts of Drug Trafficking
A man convicted, after pleading guilty to six-counts of possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver (“PWID”) and criminal conspiracy, appealed his sentence to the Pennsylvania Superior Court on the basis he was not…
New Jersey Supreme Court to Decide whether Search Warrants are Necessary in Traffic Stops
New Jersey’s standard for conducting a police search following a traffic stop has long been stricter than the Federal standard. In New Jersey, state law not only requires police to show probable cause to conduct…
Pennsylvania Superior Court Holds that Acceptance into ARD Program Constitutes a Conviction for Sentencing Purposes on Subsequent Offenses
The Pennsylvania Superior Court recently upheld a conviction for a second Driving under the Influence offense, appealed by a minor who argued that his acceptance into an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program did not constitute…
Pennsylvania Mayors Pledge to Enact Strict Gun Laws
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter enacted controversial gun laws in the city, earlier this year, three of which were upheld as constitutional by Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler-Greenspan. The laws, which are stricter than Pennsylvania…