January 2024
Staff Writer, Doctor Sues Pennsylvania Town Over Costs of Sidewalk Repairs, Pennsylvania Record (Jan. 11, 2024), a staff writer for the Pennsylvania record writes that a property owner has filed a lawsuit against Mount Lebanon township. The lawsuit claims that the township has been taxing property owners unequally and disproportionately in violation of both the United States and Pennsylvania constitutions.
Kim Lyons, Mapping the Path Forward: Legislating the Next Stage in Reproductive Rights in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Capital-Star (Jan. 21, 2024), Kim Lyons writes that Pennsylvania House Representatives have introduced House Bill 1888, which would create a fundamental right to personal reproductive liberty in the state Constitution. Lyons writes that the earliest HB 1888 could be on the ballot is 2025 because a constitutional amendment needs to pass both chambers of the legislature in two consecutive sessions before it can be voted on by Pennsylvania residents.
Nicholas Malfitano, Judge Overrules Objections in Defamation Suit Between Energy Group President and Pa. Senator, The Pennsylvania Record (Jan. 23, 2024), Nicholas Malfitano writes that David Hommrich, the president of an energy company, brought a defamation suit against Pennsylvania state Senator Lisa Boscola for using the term “Hommrich Loophole” in a memorandum to all Senate members regarding her intention to introduce legislation to address perceived gaps in the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act. Senator Boscola filed preliminary objections in the case, arguing that her conduct is protected by Article II, Section 15 of the state Constitution, which states: “The members of the General Assembly . . . for any speech or debate in either House . . . shall not be questioned in any other place.” Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge John McVay Jr. overruled the preliminary objections on the grounds that he was not “free and clear from doubt” that the memo is privileged under the Speech and Debate Clause.