Mayor Michael Nutter has pledged to not permanently shut down any libraries for the time being, even if the state appeals court grants the city authority to do so. The City of Philadelphia is currently appealing a December 2008 Common Pleas Court decision, which halted the permanent closure of 11 libraries and ordered the Mayor to [...]

The Free Library of Philadelphia has laid down new ground rules about how many people are required to keep open a branch.  The requirement is now four, instead of three employees. The staffing policy change has AFSCME District Council 47 union officials, who represent library workers, raising eyebrows; granted the union in the past has repeatedly asked [...]

 
Mark your calendars. You won’t want to miss the week of February 23rd. It’s going to be a monumental one for the future of Philly’s libraries. That’s when the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania will hear oral arguments surrounding the Nutter administration’s appeal of last month’s Common Pleas court ruling, which mandates Philadelphia to keep open 11 libraries that the [...]

It looks like the brief and undistinguished judicial career of Willie Singletary may soon be over.
The state group that oversees judicial conduct recently chastised Judge Singletary for his pitch to bikers in 2007, urging them to pony up $20 for his campaign for Philadelphia Traffic Court.  In so many words, Singletary said: You help me [...]

The on-hold trial of Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Fumo is scheduled to resume this morning in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The trial was put on hold after U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr., had “recused” himself on September 29. The new judge is Ronald Buckwalter.
Federal prosecutors say the 65-year-old Fumo misused more than [...]

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Mumia Abu-Jamal’s lawyers seeking a new trial. Abu-Jamal was convicted in 1981 in the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. This leaves a federal appeals court ruling upholding Abu-Jamal’s murder conviction in place, but ordering a new sentencing hearing.
Officer Daniel Faulkner was shot to [...]

The Daily News reports this morning that U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr., has “recused” himself from the trial of Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Fumo. No reason has been given. He will be replaced by Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter.
The trial is currently on-hold till October 20th because of Judge Yohn became ill with flu-like [...]

Jury selection begins this morning in U.S. District Court in Camden for five men who alledgedly were plotting to attack a New Jersey military base. The main question for the jury will be were the men really going to follow through.
The five defendants — all foreign-born Muslim men in their 20s who have spent much [...]

by Shannon Curley
Yesterday a state court knocked down one of two strategies the City of Philadelphia is using to pass its own gun laws. The ruling does not directly affect the three recently passed gun laws. The laws require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms, make it illegal to have a handgun [...]

I just saw this on the AP and had to share it with you. It says a judge has refused to grant a new trial for Milton Street the older brother of former Philadelphia Mayor John Street. Bummer for Milton because he could get up to three-years in prison. This happened this morning during what [...]