SCOPAblog

Hi, everyone -

This month on SCOPABlog, the Court rules that individuals can establish reasonable expectations of privacy and, thus, Pennsylvania constitutional protections against search and seizure, in so-called “open fields,” just misses the issue of whether flight in a “high crime area” can justify an investigative detention under those same protections, and grants review to revisit the continuing vitality and scope of the “gist of the action” doctrine in the context of a claim of legal malpractice.

To read the full docket review of all the Court’s precedential opinions and allocatur grants, click below:

July 2026 Docket Review — SCOPABlog July 2026 Docket Review Aug 2 Written By Corrie Woods This month, the Court issued 9 precedential opinions and 8 grants of allocatur.On the opinion side, the Court issued a number of interesting decisions in criminal cases. Perhaps the most consequential is Punxsutawney. In that case, the Court in a...

This month on SCOPAblog, the Court determines that thousands of "skill games" are unregulated and illegal slot machines, and takes extraordinary steps to correct what it views as improper concessions from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office in postconviction cases. Read more at https://www.scopablog.com/scopablog/june-2026-docket-review .

And if you're not subscribed for monthly docket reviews and other updates, do it here: https://www.scopablog.com/subscribe .

This month on SCOPABlog, the Court holds that a school district's practice of appealing only high-revenue property assessments does not violate the Pennsylvania Constitution's Uniformity Clause, attempts to collapse several definitions of "malice" into a uniform standard, and more.

May 2026 Docket Review — SCOPABlog May 2026 Docket Review Jun 1 Written By Corrie Woods This month, the Court issued six precedential opinions and one allocatur grant.Probably the most widely applicable decision this month is Downingtown Area Sch. Dist., which may well impact every Pennsylvania landowner. In that case, a holding comp...

This month on SCOPABlog, the Court issues a landmark decision holding that the Pennsylvania Constitution prohibits life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, limits the scope of the sexual abuse exception to governmental immunity to cases of child sexual abuse, and grants review to consider the import of the U.S. Supreme Court's continuing struggle with the Confrontation Clause in the context of expert foundation.

https://www.scopablog.com/scopablog/march-2026-docket-review

Hi, everyone -

On this new episode of the Standard of Review, I talk with Attorney Alex Bomstein of Clean Air Council about his win in Clean Air Council v. DEP. The case clarifies when plaintiffs challenging permits under Pennsylvania's Clean Streams Law can obtain attorney's fees from applicants, and is a win both for private enforcement of environmental rights and an excellent illustration of the principle that statutorily provided discretion imports statutory purpose.

Clean Air Council v. DEP The Standard of Review · Episode

Hi, everyone -

On this new episode of the Standard of Review, I talk with Attorney Tim Kolman of Kolman Law about his win in Salsburg v. Mann. That case held that an employee my bring an action against a supervisor for interferening with her employment relationship based on personal animus.

Salsburg v. Mann Podcast Episode · The Standard of Review · February 28 · 40m

Hi, everyone -

This month on SCOPABlog, Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht weather the partisan storm of November’s retention election, the Court issues two decisions grappling with the interstices of statutory construction, and adopts an somehow-necessary-in-2025 rule precluding lower courts from requiring “wet” signatures on court filings.

To read the full docket review of all the Court’s precedential opinions and allocatur grants, check out https://www.scopablog.com/scopablog/november-2025-docket-review .

November 2025 Docket Review — SCOPABlog November 2025 Docket Review Nov 28 Written By Corrie Woods The big news this month is not about what’s on the docket, but, rather, about who will be on the bench. All three of Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht, as well as Judge Alice Beck Dubow of the Superior Court, and Judge Michael Wojcik ...