Legal Docket

Most Recent Cases

• Briggs v. Borough of Norristown, et al.
• Chambersburg Area School District
• Disability Rights Network v. Wetzel
• Governor Mifflin School District
• Montgomery v. City of Philadelphia, et al.
• Davila v. Northern Regional Police Department, et al.
• Inquirer v. Wetzel
• Foster, et al. v. City of Pittsburgh
• Rizer v. Lukart
• Chosen Ministries, et al. v. City of Philadelphia

Criminal Justice

• Flora v. Luzerne County (Luzerne County not providing adequate funding for its Office of Public Defender)

Death Penalty

• Inquirer v. Wetzel (State refuses to allow press full access to view executions)

Drug Policy

• M.M. v. Solanco School District (Students forced to undergo random drug testing to participate in extracurricular activities)
• M.T. v. Panther Valley School District (Students required to consent to suspicionless drug testing to participate in extra-curricular activities)
• M.K. v. the Delaware Valley School District (Students required to consent to suspicionless drug testing to participate in extra-curricular activities)

Due Process

• Flora v. Luzerne County (Luzerne County not providing adequate funding for its Office of Public Defender)
• Aponte, et al. v. Martino, et al. (Mexican citizens detained without cause by police and store security)
• Galarza v. Szalczyk, et al. (US citizen mistakenly imprisoned by ICE)
• Mort v. Lawrence County Children and Youth Services, et al. (Newborn taken from mother after she falsely tests postive for drugs because of eating a poppy seed bagel)
• State College Nuisance Ordinance (proposed) (Borough proposing to hold hosts responsible for illegal activities of party guests)
• Cepeda, et al. v. Court of Common Pleas for the County of Berks (Indigent men held in prison without legal representation)
• Scherfen et al. v. United States Department of Homeland Security et al. (Muslim couple wrongly placed on Terrorist Watch List)
• El-Ganayni v. United States Department of Energy et al (Muslim physicist's security clearance revoked for criticism of US policy)
• Doe v. Fayette County Children and Youth Services (Children removed from father improperly by CYS)

Free Speech

• Governor Mifflin School District (School district has unconstitutional Internet filters that block sites that support LGBT individuals as well as advocacy sites that it labels as "intolerant")
• Montgomery v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (Philadelphia police arrest and charge man for recording an arrest)
• Rizer v. Lukart (Man arrested for recording police officer)
• Chosen Ministries, et al. v. City of Philadelphia (City of Philadelphia forcing religious groups to stop feeding the homeless in public parks)
• Fiorino v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (Gun rights advocate retaliated against by Philadelphia police)
• Coffin v. City of Philadelphia (Man arrested for leafleting on public sidewalk)
• NAACP v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (NAACP advocacy billboards rejected by Philadelphia airport )
• Wagner v. Hannon, et al. (Borough councilman arrested and strip searched for complaining to police chief and mayor )
• Piper v. City of Pittsburgh, et al. (Bystander suffered permanent hearing loss after Pittsburgh police used a Long Range Acoustic Device against G-20 protesters in 2009)
• B.H. and K.M. v. Easton Area School District (Students punished for wearing I (heart) boobies cancer awareness bracelets)
• Brajovic v. Borough of Blawnox (Borough officials harassing two goverment watchdogs)
• Armstrong, et al. v. City of Pittsburgh, et al. (Police illegally arrested protesters and observers immediately after G-20.)
• PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (State agency forbids all free speech activities in state parks without prior written permission)
• Walters v. Zubris (Man arrested for swearing at a police officer)
• Scarpa v. Pawlowski, et al (Woman charged with disorderly conduct for swearing)
• George v. TSA (College student arrested at airport for having Arabic language flashcards in carry-on luggage)
• DeRosa v. Doe (Township supervisor sues to get identity of anonymous Internet critics)
• Myers v. Borough of Penbrook (Woman told she can't display "You're in Steelers Country" banner on her front porch other than on game days)
• Friends of Animals v. National Park Service (Protestors not allowed on sidewalks around Independence Mall )
• Palmerton Area School District (Students punished for wearing t-shirts critical of school dress code)
• Seeds of Peace Collective, et al v. City of Pittsburgh, et al (G-20 protestors harassed by police)
• Code Pink vs US Secret Service (Protest groups sue federal and city authorities for right to hold peaceful G20 demonstrations.)
• Matheny v. Allegheny County, et al. (Pittsburgh man arrested for recording police in public)
• Papiernik v. East Norriton Township (Township has unconstitutional sign ordinance and is selectively enforcing it to help incumbents)
• Kalman v. Cortes (Business name denied incorporation by state because it's 'blasphemous')
• Kraft v. Harhut, et al (Voters not allowed to wear T-shirts endorsing candidates at polling places)
• Babines v. Adams Township (Pole-dancing instructor forbidden from opening studio)
• Commonwealth v. Pappert (Man charged with harassment for complaining to goverment officials about air pollution issues in his neighborhood)
• Commonwealth v. Herb (Woman cited with disorderly conduct for swearing in her own home)
• Bessey v. City of Philadelphia (Protestor arrested outside of circus)
• Hackbart v. City of Pittsburgh (Man cited for flipping off police officer)
• League of Young Voters, et al. v. Port Authority of Allegheny County, et al. (Port Authority refuses to run bus ads)
• J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District (Student suspended for creating MySpace paraody profile of principal)
• Harbeson et al v. Central Dauphin School District (Student disciplined for wearing T-shirt criticizing school administration)
• Layshock v. Hermitage School District (Student punished for MySpace parody of principal)

Immigrants' Rights

• Davila v. Northern Regional Police Department, et al. (US citizen illegally held overnight by ICE)
• Kyeame v. Buchheit (Candian man arrested and beaten by police during traffic stop in Centre County )
• Aponte, et al. v. Martino, et al. (Mexican citizens detained without cause by police and store security)
• Galarza v. Szalczyk, et al. (US citizen mistakenly imprisoned by ICE)
• Serna-Deandrade, et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of Driver Licensing (PennDOT unlawfully revoked drivers' licenses of immigrants using tax identification numbers instead of Social Security numbers)
• Hazleton Area School District (School district requires excessive documentation to prove residency)
• PennDOT's suspension of driver's licenses (PennDOT's suspension of driver's licenses of people without Social Security numbers)
• Lozano v. City of Hazleton (City of Hazleton passed anti-immigrant ordinance)

LGBT Rights

• Chambersburg Area School District (School district refuses to allow students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance)
• Wiessmann v. State College Area School District (School district's policy denied health insurance benefits to gay and lesbian domestic partners while providing those same benefits to heterosexual employees' partners. )

Police Practices

• Briggs v. Borough of Norristown, et al. (Township forcing landlords to evict tenants for requesting police assistance)
• Montgomery v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (Philadelphia police arrest and charge man for recording an arrest)
• Davila v. Northern Regional Police Department, et al. (US citizen illegally held overnight by ICE)
• Foster, et al. v. City of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has discriminatory hiring practices)
• Rizer v. Lukart (Man arrested for recording police officer)
• Fiorino v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (Gun rights advocate retaliated against by Philadelphia police)
• Piper v. City of Pittsburgh, et al. (Bystander suffered permanent hearing loss after Pittsburgh police used a Long Range Acoustic Device against G-20 protesters in 2009)
• Galarza v. Szalczyk, et al. (US citizen mistakenly imprisoned by ICE)
• Bailey, et al. v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (Philadelphia police engaged in racial profiling)
• Walters v. Zubris (Man arrested for swearing at a police officer)
• Scarpa v. Pawlowski, et al (Woman charged with disorderly conduct for swearing)
• Matheny v. Allegheny County, et al. (Pittsburgh man arrested for recording police in public)
• Hookway v. East Vincent Township and Borough of Spring City (Man cited for videotaping police)
• Commonwealth v. Herb (Woman cited with disorderly conduct for swearing in her own home)

Prisoners' Rights

• Disability Rights Network v. Wetzel (DOC sued for its mistreatment of inmates with serious mental illness held in solitary confinement)
• Prison Legal News v. PA Dept. of Corrections (Appeal under Right to Know Law after request denied by Dept. of Corrections)

Privacy

• D'Amico v. Brownsville Area School District (Teacher suspended over Facebook photo of her with a stripper at a bachelorette party)
• N.N. v. Tunkhannock Area School District, et al (High school student punished by school and district attorney for nude photos of herself found in an illegal search of her cell phone)
• Robbins v. Lower Merion School District (Lower Merion School District used webcams to record students without their knowledge)
• Miller, et al v. Skumanick (Teenage girls threatened with child pornography for cell phone photos of themselves)

Racial Justice

• Foster, et al. v. City of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has discriminatory hiring practices)
• Kyeame v. Buchheit (Candian man arrested and beaten by police during traffic stop in Centre County )
• Aponte, et al. v. Martino, et al. (Mexican citizens detained without cause by police and store security)
• Bailey, et al. v. City of Philadelphia, et al. (Philadelphia police engaged in racial profiling)
• English, et al. v. Chester County (African-American students deprived of right to vote by inadequate polling place)

Religious Liberty

• Chosen Ministries, et al. v. City of Philadelphia (City of Philadelphia forcing religious groups to stop feeding the homeless in public parks)
• Northeast Pennsylvania Freethought Society v. Luzerne County (Religious symbols displayed on Luzerne County Courthouse lawn.)
• Shenkel United Church of Christ v. North Coventry Township (Church forbidden by township from providing temporary emergency shelter to the homeless)
• Just for Jesus Challenge Homeless Outreach v. Borough of Brookville (Township shuts down church's ministry to the homeless)

Reproductive Freedom

• Mort v. Lawrence County Children and Youth Services, et al. (Newborn taken from mother after she falsely tests postive for drugs because of eating a poppy seed bagel)

Security & Civil Liberties

• FOIA Request on FBI Records (FOIA requests to local FBI offices to obtain information about the agency's collection and use of racial and ethnic data )
• George v. TSA (College student arrested at airport for having Arabic language flashcards in carry-on luggage)
• Code Pink vs US Secret Service (Protest groups sue federal and city authorities for right to hold peaceful G20 demonstrations.)

Student & Youth Rights

• Chambersburg Area School District (School district refuses to allow students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance)
• Governor Mifflin School District (School district has unconstitutional Internet filters that block sites that support LGBT individuals as well as advocacy sites that it labels as "intolerant")
• M.M. v. Solanco School District (Students forced to undergo random drug testing to participate in extracurricular activities)
• M.T. v. Panther Valley School District (Students required to consent to suspicionless drug testing to participate in extra-curricular activities)
• M.K. v. the Delaware Valley School District (Students required to consent to suspicionless drug testing to participate in extra-curricular activities)
• B.H. and K.M. v. Easton Area School District (Students punished for wearing I (heart) boobies cancer awareness bracelets)
• N.N. v. Tunkhannock Area School District, et al (High school student punished by school and district attorney for nude photos of herself found in an illegal search of her cell phone)
• Robbins v. Lower Merion School District (Lower Merion School District used webcams to record students without their knowledge)
• Bloomsburg Outdoor Gatherings Ordinance (Town ordinance requires a permit for Bloomsburg students hosting social gatherings at which alcohol will be served with 150 or more guests on private property )
• Hazleton Area School District (School district requires excessive documentation to prove residency)
• Palmerton Area School District (Students punished for wearing t-shirts critical of school dress code)
• J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District (Student suspended for creating MySpace paraody profile of principal)
• Harbeson et al v. Central Dauphin School District (Student disciplined for wearing T-shirt criticizing school administration)
• Layshock v. Hermitage School District (Student punished for MySpace parody of principal)

Voting Issues

• Applewhite et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al. (Lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania's voter ID law)
• Gordon, et al. v. Philadelphia County Democratic Executive Committee, et al. (Elected committee person removed from office by Democratic City Committee)
• Nominating Petition of Carl Stevenson (Candidate's petition signatures invalidated because petition collector was not a district resident)
• English, et al. v. Chester County (African-American students deprived of right to vote by inadequate polling place)
• ACORN v. Tom Corbett, et al. (Challenge to Pennsylvania voter-registration law)
• Kraft v. Harhut, et al (Voters not allowed to wear T-shirts endorsing candidates at polling places)
• League of Young Voters, et al. v. Port Authority of Allegheny County, et al. (Port Authority refuses to run bus ads)