The Supreme Court Establishes the Standard and Scope of Review in Right-to-Know Cases
On August 20, 2013, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court handed down the long-awaited decision in Bowling v. OOR/PEMA, No. 20 MAP 2011. The decision comes almost two years since it was argued on September 13, 2011. In the 41 page majority opinion authored by Justice McCaffery and joined in by Justices Saylor (concurring), Eakin and Baer affirms the holdings penned by Judge Simpson of the Commonwealth Court…
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The Aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on DOMA
The Windsor Decision Creates Myriad of Questions While the plaintiff in the Defense of Marriage Act case, Edith Windsor, will get back $363,000 in federal estate taxes plus interest, the future is murky for the estimated 114,000 legally married same-sex couples living in the United States. That’s because a state line still decides who is married and who is not…
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Pennsylvania’s Fledgling Right-to-Know Law Could Face a Major Overhaul
Barely four years old, Pennsylvania’s “new” Right-to-Know Law, (“RTKL”), could be in for a major overhaul. Senator Dominic Pileggi, the author of the bill which eventually became, in large part, the 2009 law, has introduced a bill this session, SB 444, which would make major amendments to the existing law. Public hearings have been held concerning the proposed amendments.  …
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