Landmark reform for victims of child sex abuse

Dec 8, 2019 | CCDC Blog, Justice, PA House 167

by Rep. Kristine Howard (D-167) Just prior to Thanksgiving, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives finally passed HB 962 providing for changing the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse in both civil and criminal matters, which I was pleased to vote...

Judges Binder and Sondergaard vs. debtors’ prison

Oct 21, 2019 | CCDC Blog, Justice

Judges Binder and Sondergaard, Democratic candidates for Chester County Court of Common Pleas, don’t believe in debtors’ prison. Increasingly across the country, counties are trying to balance their budgets on the backs of indigent people. If someone accused of a...

Clerk of Courts Yolanda Van de Krol welcomes Clean Slate Act

Jul 28, 2019 | CCDC Blog, Justice, Voting & districts

Why this matters: One long-ago arrest even without conviction, or conviction for a low-level offense, can jeopardize someone’s chances of getting a job or promotion. And some states (mercifully not Pennsylvania*) use judicial records as an excuse to take away...

Shusterman to take leadership role on House Judiciary Committee

Apr 18, 2019 | CCDC Blog, Justice, PA House 157

News release, Rep. Melissa Shusterman, April 15, 2019 HARRISBURG, April 15 – State Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester/Montgomery, today announced her appointment as secretary of the House Judiciary Committee. This appointment will add to a number of leadership roles...

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." — Nelson Mandela