Mass Incarceration in Allegheny County — The term “mass incarceration” was identified by Michelle Alexander in her groundbreaking 2010 book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. According to Alexander, there are more African-Americans under the control or supervision of the criminal justice system than were enslaved a decade before the Civil…

Yesterday I provided testimony to the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee about ending cash bail in Pennsylvania. This was at the request of State Representative Summer Lee, who has sponsored legislation to end cash bail in Pennsylvania. Other speakers included Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, Allegheny County Councilwoman At-Large Bethany…

“It is only when the community has confidence in the integrity and capacity of the judiciary that the community is governed by the rule of law.” - Commentary on the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, 2007. It is 8:46 p.m. Today, I am joining judges and court systems throughout the…

Comment to Proposed Amendment of Pa.Rs.Crim.P. 542, 543 and 1003 This Comment is provided in response to the Committee’s proposed amendment of Rules 542, 543 and 1003 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. It focuses on the Committee’s proposition that there is “no material difference between the level of…

RIP Mac Miller, my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans all over the world. Pittsburgh as a whole and our arts community in particular lost a real one today. Honestly, last year’s loss of beloved Pittsburgh artist Danny Montano was one of the first things that came to…

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court of the United States (popularly and awesomely referred to these days as the “Notorious RBG”) recently remarked that the independent judiciary is “our nation’s hallmark and pride.” Her Honor wisely notes that judges who find themselves under political attack depend on others…

The headline read like this: “Transgender woman allegedly raped by cellmate says she requested single cell.” https://tinyurl.com/ychcbps2 And the article mentioned this: “District Judge Mik Pappas revoked Booth’s bond and upheld all of his charges… [and] changed the victim’s bond to non-monetary to allow her release from the jail Tuesday…

Today’s Post-Gazette article is fair overall. https://tinyurl.com/ycv3qwel. …

Response to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Article of January 27, 2018 Dear Friends, Supporters, and Constituents, It recently was brought to my attention that I was featured on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this past Saturday. While I have enjoyed the distinct pleasure of appearing in these hallowed pages…