The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal from the Fraternal Order of Police regarding an arbitration award. The union claimed that the panel neglected to account for competitive compensation in determining the award. After the police union’s collective bargaining agreement with the city of Pittsburgh expired at the end of 2014, the union and the city were unable to reach another agreement. The two parties began arbitration in compliance with Pennsylvania’s Police and Fireman Collective Bargaining Act. The arbitration panel then issued an award from the years 2015-2018 after examining many factors, including police office compensation in comparison to officers in similarly situation districts. The lower court quashed the union’s appeal of the award. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision saying that no evidence showed the award was “arbitrary, capricious, or in bad … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules against police union in arbitration award case
Pennsylvania supreme court rules
Supreme Court turns away Pennsylvania electoral map dispute
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, U.S., June 11, 2018. REUTERS/Erin Schaff/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by Republican legislators in Pennsylvania to reinstate a congressional district map struck down by that state’s top court as unlawfully biased in favor of Republicans. A new state electoral map, devised by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after it invalidated the Republican-drawn districts in January, is seen as giving Democrats a better shot at gaining seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress. The case involves a practice called partisan gerrymandering in which electoral maps are drafted in a manner that helps one party tighten its grip on power by undermining the clout of voters that tend to favor the other party. The high court in June failed to determine … [Read more...] about Supreme Court turns away Pennsylvania electoral map dispute
U.S. Supreme Court turns away Pennsylvania electoral map dispute
A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington December 3, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by Republican legislators in Pennsylvania to reinstate a congressional district map struck down by that state’s top court as unlawfully biased in favor of Republicans. The justices rejected the appeal of a January Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling invalidating the Republican-drawn map because it violated the state constitution’s requirement that elections be “free and equal” by marginalizing Democratic voters. The case involves a practice called partisan gerrymandering in which electoral maps are drafted in a manner that helps one party tighten its grip on power by undermining the clout of voters that tend to favor the other party. The practice has been used for two centuries but has become more extreme with the use of computer programs to maximize the effects of gerrymandering in a way … [Read more...] about U.S. Supreme Court turns away Pennsylvania electoral map dispute
Pennsylvania top court rules against rapper in First Amendment appeal
Pittsburgh rapper, Jamal Knox, lost his appeal with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled [opinion, PDF] Tuesday that his song threatening police officers was not protected under the First Amendment. Officer Michael Kosko and Detective Daniel Zeltner of the Pittsburgh Police were both scheduled to testify against Knox after he was arrested in 2012 on multiple charges, including possession of heroin. Rashee Beasley was arrested alongside Knox. While these charges were pending, Knox and Beasley wrote and recorded a song entitled “F— the Police,” where both Kosko and Zeltner were threatened by name and had still photos of them included in the music video. Jamal Knox was rearrested for terroristic threats. Knox appealed the guilty verdict, arguing that his song was protected under the First Amendment as art. The Supreme Court denied this appeal. Of particular relevance to this case, speech which threatens unlawful violence can subject the speaker to criminal … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania top court rules against rapper in First Amendment appeal
Rap song that threatened police officers is not protected speech, Pennsylvania’s top court rules
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Home Daily News Rap song that threatened police officers… First Amendment By Debra Cassens Weiss Posted August 23, 2018, 10:29 am CDT The Supreme Court chamber in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building./Nagel Photography (Shutterstock.com.) The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected a free speech claim by a rapper who threatened to kill two Pittsburgh police officers he identified by name in a video titled “F— the Police.” The court upheld the conviction of Jamal Knox on charges of witness intimidation and terroristic threats, report the Washington Post, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennlive.com and the Associated Press. How Appealing notes news coverage and links to the Aug. 21 opinion. Using the name Mayhem Mal, Knox and another rapper threatened the officers who were scheduled to testify against them after arresting the pair on drug charges. The other rapper’s case was not before the court. One of the officers said the video was one of the reasons … [Read more...] about Rap song that threatened police officers is not protected speech, Pennsylvania’s top court rules