Legislators Demand a Voice in Public Health Restrictions
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the dangers of letting governors unilaterally, dramatically, and indefinitely magnify their own powers.
Pennsylvania
Empowered by Voters, Pennsylvania Legislators Are Poised To End the Governor's 15-Month COVID-19 Emergency
The resolution is part of a broader movement to rein in executive power during emergencies.
She Was Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Handing Drugs to a Friend Who Overdosed. A Federal Court Wasn't Having It.
The case is a good reminder of the far-reaching effects of the war on drugs.
A Pennsylvania Police Chief Resigns After Pleading Guilty to Threatening a Facebook Critic With a False Arrest
Perhaps the ignominious end to Brian Buglio's career will alert thin-skinned cops to the perils of trying to punish people for constitutionally protected speech.
Pennsylvanians Voted To Limit Their Governor's Emergency Powers
Voters in Pittsburgh banned no-knock police raids and solitary confinement too.
Marijuana News in 3 States Shows Stark Differences As Prohibition Crumbles
New Mexico could be the 16th state to legalize pot, while Texas considers tinkering with its onerous penalties and Pennsylvania continues to arrest cannabis consumers.
Limiting Mail-in Voting Won't Make Elections More Secure
But it would continue the politicization of the means of voting and make it harder to vote.
A Pennsylvania Inmate Dies of COVID-19 While Awaiting Mercy from the Governor
The Board of Pardons recommended Bruce Norris’ release. A signature didn’t come in time.
The Armed March That Wasn't
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the biggest story was all the reporters looking for a story.
'We're Not Doing Anything Wrong': This Pennsylvania Brewery Refuses To Obey State's Indoor Dining Ban
And it isn't alone. Pennsylvania has banned indoor dining through the end of the year, but dozens of businesses are banding together to defy the mandate.
SCOTUS Full of Trump Appointees Joins the Conspiracy To Deny Trump His Rightful Victory
The justices declined to intervene on behalf of Republicans who challenged absentee voting in Pennsylvania.
Why Rep. Mike Kelly's Challenge to Pennsylvania's Election Results Is Going Nowhere (UPDATE: It Went Nowhere)
Pennsylvania's response to Rep. Kelly's effort to invalidate Pennsylvania's election results.
Trump's Attempts To Undo the Election Won't Work
The president's rhetoric and his campaign's actions are corrosive, but even the most powerful man on the planet can't control America's diffuse election system.
Republican Lawsuits Cannot Deliver the Evidence Trump Needs To Prove He Actually Won the Election
Even if the GOP's complaints are valid, they do not prove a vast anti-Trump conspiracy.
In Pennsylvania, the Trump Campaign's Search for Voting Irregularities Turns Increasingly Desperate
No, late-arriving mail-in ballots won't swing the election's outcome. No, Joe Biden's vote totals in suburban Philadelphia aren't suspiciously high.
New Blows to Trump Campaign Election Fraud Theories
Plus: Hillbilly Elegy film flops, TikTok would like to know if it's still banned, and more...
Trump's New Lawsuit Looks Like an Attempt To Cancel All Mail-in Votes in Pennsylvania
The newest lawsuit in Pennsylvania is a longshot attempt to argue that all mail-in voting is unconstitutional because it differs from traditional, in-person voting. It's likely to fail.
Georgia Will Recount Its Presidential Votes. Other States Might Too.
Biden appears to be winning, but the election is far from settled.
With Biden Up in Pennsylvania, Are We Headed Toward Gridlock?
Plus: Republicans denounce Trump fraud allegations, Trump campaign mounts multiple legal challenges, and more...
Trump Says Mail-in Votes Are Suspicious Because They Overwhelmingly Favor Joe Biden. He's Wrong.
This isn't fraud. This isn't a scheme to steal the election. It is the very predictable outcome of the president's own words and actions.
Don't 'STOP THE COUNT'
Trump's tweets are muddying the process. His legal challenges deserve to be heard, and all votes will continue to be counted.
The Rust Belt Made Trump President. The Bet Hasn't Paid Off.
If Trump loses his bid for re-election, it will be because Rust Belt voters abandoned him after four years of misguided economic policies.
Supreme Court Ruling Means We Probably Won't Know Who Won Pennsylvania Until Days After Election
And maybe a lot longer, since the Supreme Court left the door open to re-hearing a Republican-led challenge seeking to discard late-arriving absentee ballots.
Think This Election Will End Up in Front of the Supreme Court? It's Already There.
Plus: Fewer Americans are watching sports, Milton Friedman's powerful TV series turns 40, Amy Coney Barrett joins the Supreme Court, and more...
Efforts To Limit Ballot Drop-Off Boxes Are Cynical Electoral Gamesmanship
Across 14 states that track party affiliations of absentee-ballot-voters, 56 percent of mail-in votes have been cast by Democrats and only 23 percent have been cast by Republicans.
An Overdue Rebuke to Politicians Who Think Anything Goes in a Pandemic
Two courts say COVID-19 lockdowns in Michigan and Pennsylvania were unconstitutional.
Don't Buy Trump's Conspiracy Theories About Ballots Being Dumped in Rivers
There are many unique challenges facing election officials this year, but widespread malfeasance isn't one of them.
Tuesday's Debate Demonstrated That Donald Trump Wants This Election To Become a Chaotic Mess
Chris Wallace asked both candidates on Tuesday night if they would urge "supporters to stay calm during this extended period, not to engage in any civil unrest." Trump rejected the premise.
Will Pennsylvania Be the Florida of the 2020 Election?
If so, Republicans, Democrats, the state legislature, the state Supreme Court, and Gov. Tom Wolf will all share the blame.
Federal Court Rules Pennsylvania's Lockdown Order Unconstitutional
Population-wide lockdown orders are "such a dramatic inversion of the concept of liberty in a free society as to be nearly presumptively unconstitutional" wrote U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV
Philadelphia Ordered Restaurants Closed. Then the City's Mayor Went Out To Eat in Maryland.
Public officials are routinely undermining the legitimacy of coronavirus countermeasures by ignoring their own (often arbitrary) rules.
Pennsylvania Is the Latest State To Loosen Occupational Licensing Rules for Individuals With Criminal Records
Finding a steady job is the best way to keep a person from going back to prison or jail. These changes make a lot of sense.
After Nearly 30 Years, Pennsylvania's Walter Ogrod is Released From Death Row
False testimony and prosecutorial misconduct put Walter Ogrod on death row.
Lancaster County Drug Task Force 'Missing' $150K From Asset Forfeiture Fund
Would you be surprised if you learned the former district attorney was caught leasing an SUV with asset forfeiture funds?
Texas Admitted It Can't Enforce Its COVID-19 Lockdown. More States Should Do The Same.
The sooner everyone else recognizes those limits, the sooner we can shift to policies that balance public health and economic freedom.
Federal and State Governments Have Less Control Over Shutdowns Than They Think
Officials in six Pennsylvania counties say they will allow businesses to reopen without permission from the state government. Expect more of that.
After Pennsylvania Closed All Liquor Stores, Residents Crossed State Borders To Buy Booze. Now Ohio Is Shutting Down Out-of-State Sales.
Border counties are now prohibited from selling to anyone without proof of residency.
Banning Alcohol Sales During the COVID-19 Pandemic Is a Terrible Idea
For all the good prohibition might do to reduce domestic violence, it won't actually solve that problem and it will certainly cause others.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office Says It Wrongly Convicted Walter Ogrod. Will a Judge Set Him Free Before He Dies of COVID-19?
Ogrod remains on death row even though the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office has called for his conviction to be overturned. He probably has COVID-19.
To Enforce Social Distancing Rules, Cops Fined a Pennsylvania Woman Who Was Driving Alone
Not every apparent violation of a quarantine order is a risk to other people, and not all need to be (or can be) enforced equally.
States Can't Shut Down Non-Essential Businesses Without Harming Essential Ones
The coronavirus outbreak offers another view of the limits of central planning.
Truckers Are Rushing Supplies to Empty Store Shelves During Coronavirus Crisis. Will Regulators Get Out of the Way?
The churn of new emergency regulatory waivers and restrictions is causing confusion for American manufacturers and freight haulers.
After a State-Authorized Medical Marijuana Patient Had an Epileptic Seizure and Crashed Her Car, Police Arrested Her for Driving With 'Marjuana in Her System'
The case illustrates the injustice and irrationality of Pennsylvania's "zero tolerance" approach to stoned driving.
