A Philly Man Who Spent 37 Years of a 50-Year Prison Sentence in Solitary Confinement Has Been Freed
Arthur Johnson spent his entire adult life in jail for a murder he says he was coerced to confess to by police.
Philadelphia
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.
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Hits Another Legal Roadblock
An appeals court panel rules the Controlled Substance Act's "crackhouse" provision forbids Safehouse from creating the facility.
NIMBY Group Asks Residents To Donate Poop
A Philadelphia activist wants some stool samples, so he can prove a link between "irresponsible development" and colorectal cancer.
40 Years a Prisoner
The new HBO documentary looks at what happened before, during, and after the 1978 MOVE shootout in Philadelphia.
Senseless Restrictions on Outdoor Activities Undermine the Goal of Curbing COVID-19
By arbitrarily foreclosing relatively safe social and recreational options, politicians encourage defiance, resentment, and riskier substitutes.
Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Whether Religious Agencies Can Reject Gay Foster Parents
New Justice Amy Coney Barrett expresses concerns about wider implications of antidiscrimination policies.
Protests and Looting Continue After Philadelphia Cops Fatally Shoot a Knife-Wielding Man Experiencing a 'Mental Crisis'
Walter Wallace's family says the officers could have defused the situation without using lethal force.
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.
Meet the Philly Judge Standing in the Way of Efforts To Stop Coronavirus Spread in Jails
Judge Anne Marie Coyle has rejected every emergency attempt to reduce prison populations.
Keep Coronavirus Out of Jails by Arresting Fewer People in the First Place
Police departments turn to summons instead of processing people into cells—a change they should keep after this is all over.
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Opening Delayed
Blame angry neighbors, not the feds.
Philadelphia Poised To Open America's First Public Safe Injection Site in Just a Week
Federal judge confirms ruling that it doesn’t violate federal “crack house” law.
Can a City Refuse To Use a Foster Agency That Discriminates Against Same-Sex Couples?
The Supreme Court is about to tackle the issue.
Philly Police Union Attacks Eagles Football Player for Opposing Police Brutality
Malcolm Jenkins brought the data, but the Fraternal Order of Police prefer to bully him into shutting up.
Federal Judge Rules Philly Injection Site Wouldn't Violate Drug Laws
A safe place meant to help prevent overdose deaths is not the same as a crackhouse.
Stossel: Let Charter Schools Teach
Governments limit charter schools, even though charters often do better than government-run schools.
A Corrupt Cop Sent Meek Mill to Prison. A Corrupt System Kept Sending Him Back.
The case is a perfect example of the overcriminalization of petty crimes.
These People Are Risking Prison To Help Philadelphia's Drug Users
"All we want to do is save some young people from dying needlessly," says former Gov. Ed Rendell, who's on the board of Safehouse, the nation's first supervised injection site to operate out in the open.
Philadelphia Politicians Want to Ban Bay Windows
The supposed symbol of gentrification has become the target of city politicians.
Philadelphia Finds Potential Home for a Safe Injection Facility
But Justice Department officials want to stop them.
ACLU Sues Philadelphia Over Cash Bail Demands That Keep Poor Defendants in Jail
Magistrates are supposed to consider the financial concerns of people who come before them. Instead they're tossing them behind bars.
Lower Taxes May Have Helped Philadelphia Sign Bryce Harper
Harper considered signing with two California-based teams, but he would have had to pay millions more to the taxman.
Lawmakers Across the Country Propose Outlawing Cashless Businesses
They say it discriminates against those without checking or savings accounts.
Philadelphia Reduced Use of Cash Bail and the Sky Didn't Fall
Defendants aren't being ordered to pay for their freedom, and they're still coming back for court appearances.
Was Philadelphia's Soda Tax the Result of a Union-Versus-Union Political Fight?
Indicted union boss John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty ordered the soda tax passed to hurt the city's Teamsters union, federal prosecutors say.
Justice Department Sues To Block Philadelphia Supervised Injection Site
Just last night the president said he wants to stop the spread of HIV. This move won't help.
Taxpayers Will Pay $1 Million to Tear Down $18 Million Baseball Stadium That Predictably Failed to Rejuvenate Camden
The stadium never turned a profit and the team skipped town when local officials decided to start charging rent.
Philly Police Union Sues Over Attempts to Keep Bad Cops Off the Stand
They say it's about due process. Is it really about all that sweet overtime money?
Candidates Oppose Safe Injection Sites to Get an Edge Over the Other
A GOP candidate claims she's the only person in the race who opposes a life-saving opioid policy, but her Democratic opponent is against it as well.
Philadelphia Pushing Forward with Safe Injection Site Plans
Former Gov. Ed Rendell says he's willing to defy the feds and risk arrest to reduce overdose deaths.
Philadelphia Will Dismantle Its Asset Forfeiture Program and Pay $3 Million to Victims
A legal settlement guarantees reforms to what was once one of America's most egregious asset forfeiture programs.
Up Close and Personal With Philadelphia's Heroin Crisis
Journalist Christopher Moraff talks about a better way to report on drug culture in America.
The Philly Soda Tax May Be Legal, But It's Still Bad Policy
The State Supreme Court won't overturn the tax, so lawmakers should do it instead.
Philadelphia Wants To Tax Housing Construction to Make Housing Cheaper
Real estate investors worry a new construction tax will halt construction in an already-heavily taxed city.
Philly Tax Spurs Black Market Soda Smuggling
A beverage tax provokes a strange but predictable response.
Stossel: The Philly Soda Tax Scam
John Stossel fights with a Philadelphia City Councilman about the city's new soda tax.
A Non-Terrible District Attorney Wins in Philly
But will he be able to follow through?