Category Archives: News

On March 1, 2023, the Commission submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”), urging it to reverse a Trump-era decision to not enforce Department-wide Continue ReadingCommission Submits Letter Urging U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services to Reverse Trump-Era Decision to Not Enforce Department-Wide Non-Discrimination Protections→

On January 31, 2023, the Commission joined Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts (“PMC”) and the ACLU-PA in submitting a jointly-drafted letter to the PA Supreme Court Criminal Procedural Rules Committee, urging Continue ReadingCommission Joins Other Stakeholders in Submitting to PA Supreme Court Proposed Amendments to Statewide Rules Governing Courts’ Collection of Fines/Costs from Defendants→

On January 5, 2023, the Commission submitted comments to the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) Board in response to the Board’s publication of proposed amendments to existing educational requirements for Continue ReadingCommission Submits Comments to PA CLE Board in Support of Strengthening Antibias Education Requirements for PA Attorneys→

On October 31, 2022, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute collaborated with the Commission and the PA Bar Association (“PBA”) to administer a CLE program, entitled “Innovative Anti-Bias Programming: A Curriculum for Continue ReadingCommission, PA Bar Association Jointly Administer CLE Program on Innovative Anti-Bias Programming in PA Law Schools→

On October 17, 2022, Executive Director McCormick and Staff Attorney Bertig served as panelists at a Pittsburgh-based Bail Reform & Pretrial Justice Town Hall and Speak Out. The event was Continue ReadingCommission Staff Participate as Panelists in Bail Reform & Pretrial Justice Town Hall and Speak Out→

On August 17, 2022, Commission staff distributed copies of its guide, entitled A Curriculum for our Times: Anti-Bias Programming for Law Students and Law Faculty, to the American Bar Association Continue ReadingCommission Publishes, Widely Distributes Guide on Innovative Anti-Bias Curricula for Law Students and Law Faculty→

On June 23, 2022, the Commission submitted a second round of formal comments to several Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Rules Committees, in response to their publication of new proposed amendments Continue ReadingCommission Submits Second Round of Comments re Proposed Statewide Rules Governing Indigent Individuals’ Access to Pennsylvania Courts→

On June 21, 2022, the Commission submitted a letter to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, requesting amendment of PA Rule of Criminal Procedure 632 to explicitly permit judicial districts to Continue ReadingCommission Submits Letter to Court Proposing Expansions to, Aggregated Collection of Demographic Categories on State’s Juror Information Questionnaire→

On June 9, 2022, Commission members convened in-person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began to review the initiatives of each of the Commission’s six Committees and to Continue ReadingCommission Conducts In-Person Meeting of its Full Membership→

On April 27, 2022, the Commission submitted to Pennsylvania House and Senate committee chairs its letter in support of legislation that would prohibit use of the so-called LGBTQ “panic” defense Continue ReadingCommission Submits Letter to Legislature in Support of Bill Banning Use of LGBTQ “Panic” Defense→