Abuse of Power in a Good Cause

No. 856 There is a sound bite all over the news today of Ed Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania but also former Philadelphia DA, stating that in a case like Sandusky, “every prosecutor knows” that you should bring the case even if you don’t have enough evidence because prosecution will act as a deterrent. I’ll […]

Life or Death in Egypt.

No. 846 A court in Egypt sentenced former President Mubarak to life for the murder of protesters. This sparked public outrage, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. What a breath of fresh air. Democracy is experiencing a violent birth in one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It would have been politically expedient for a […]

FYI, Flashing Lights to Warn of a Speed Trap May be Protected Speech

No. 837 In case you ever wondered, there has been at least one case involving the practice of flashing lights at people approaching a speed trap. A Florida court held that such conduct was speech protected the First Amendment. Its not precedent, but its an interesting idea if you ever find yourself in that spot. Hat […]

The Ethics of Trial by Facebook.

No. 831 The CEB Blog (California Education of the Bar) reports that George Zimmerman’s defense team has established a Website, Facebook page and Twitter Account to address what they see as public misconceptions and present their case in the Court of Public Opinion. The website is soliciting contributions for the Defense Fund. The CEB Blog post […]

14-10

No. 819 The jury in the Orie trial surprised some be reaching a verdict. Third Chair:Pittsburgh was not alone in expecting a hung jury after they announced a deadlock. Apparently, the jurors knew how to compromise. CLT

And Now the Defense . . .

No. 819 From the media accounts it sounds pretty grim for Senator Jane Orie. A gang of witnesses, including her ex-chief of staff have testified that campaign work was being done in the office on state time. On top of the evidence at the first trial, there is the forgery evidence — although nobody knows […]

Paterno’s Grand Jury Testimony Is Inadmissible at Trial.

No. 800 This is the 800th Post on Pittsburgh Legal Backtalk. Thanks for reading. Joe Paterno’s testimony before the grand jury corroborated Mike McQueary’s testimony that he reported activity of a sexual nature and not just horseplay. Paterno would have been an important prosecution witness in the trials of former PSU Athletic Director Tim Curley […]

Penn State Owes a Public Apology to Paterno, Now not Later.

No. 791 The following post was written before the death of Joe Paterno had been publicly announced. The way the Penn State Board fired Joe Paterno was cowardly and wrong. They bowed to overwhelming pressure of a media-driven lynch mob. Ultimately, in cooler times, Mr. Paterno will be vindicated before the law and in the […]

Do they still hang horse thieves in Texas?

No. 775 Everyone knows that Texas is just about the world champion in administering capital punishment. But do they hang horse thieves? There is a real case of serial horse theft and equicide pending in the Lone Star State. Improve your education on the subject by reading the Equine Law Blog.

Overcoming Overwhelming Odds: A Case in Point.

No. 770 When it happens in New York it makes national news. When much the same thing happened in Pittsburgh some years ago, it made local news. Yet something even more remarkable happened after the Pittsburgh event that didn’t make the news at all, a story worth telling. One afternoon, I was asked to help […]

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Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

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