Matthew T Mangino

September 09, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

Last month, the Pennsylvania Superior Court in Commonwealth v. Newman, No. 1980 EDA 2012, ruled that the imposition of a mandatory minimum sentence by a judge, not a jury, relating to the use of a gun in a drug transaction is unconstitutional.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

August 05, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

Last month, the Michigan Supreme Court decided that Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. ___, 132 S.Ct. 2455 (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court decision that makes mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles unconstitutional, should not be applied retroactively.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

July 08, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

There was a recent lull in executions in this country. For 49 days beginning on April 29 there was not a single execution nationwide. Then on June 17 and June 18 there were executions in Florida, Georgia and Missouri. The last execution prior to June 17 was in Oklahoma, and it did not go well.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

June 03, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The high court sent the case back, instructing the appeals court to give consideration to the court's recent decision in Tolan v. Cotton, 572 U. S. ___ (2014).

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

May 06, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

Prison is a terrible and lonely place. As a former member of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, I have visited many of Pennsylvania's prisons and have spent countless hours in correctional facilities interviewing inmates who are eligible for parole. Not everyone who is eligible for parole is granted parole.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

March 04, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

The state prison population increased last year. That is not necessarily earth-shattering news. As of Dec. 31, 2013, Pennsylvania's prisons housed 51,512 people, up 328 from the same date in 2012.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

February 04, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

The Fourth Amendment has protected individuals from unlawful governmental searches and seizures for more than two centuries. Initially, the thrust of the Fourth Amendment focused on the homes of early Americans—those places where individuals wanted to remain "secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects."

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

January 07, 2014 | The Legal Intelligencer

A decision by the Pennsylvania Superior Court on Dec. 26 could have an impact on the prosecution of three former Penn State University officials facing charges stemming from failing to properly deal with reports of child sexual abuse by Jerry Sandusky.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

November 12, 2013 | The Legal Intelligencer

Children with incarcerated parents are a growing problem in Pennsylvania and across the country. The number of inmates who are parents has increased by 79 percent since 1991.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read

February 12, 2013 | The Legal Intelligencer

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1962). In Gideon, the high court unanimously ruled that state courts are required to provide legal counsel for those defendants accused of a crime who cannot afford a lawyer.

By Matthew T. Mangino

6 minute read