iradiophilly | News - US Supreme Court Won't Expedite PA Appeal; ATM Explosions Rattle City; Ban Minor Traffic Stops Bill

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US Supreme Court Won't Expedite PA Appeal; ATM Explosions Rattle City; Ban Minor Traffic Stops Bill

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 10/28/20 11:05 pm | updated: 10/28/20 11:05 pm

The US Supreme Court said it would not review an appeal of a Pennsylvania state Supreme Court decision on an accelerated schedule before Election Day. Pennsylvania Republicans requested the court reconsider the decision that allows mail-in and absentee ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by November 3 and received by Friday, November 6 at 5 p.m. The U.S. Supreme Court had previously ruled 4-4 on October 19. "I reluctantly conclude that there is simply not enough time at this late date to decide the question before the election," Justice Samuel Alito said. Although the court will not expedite the appeal, it left open the possibility it would take it up after the election. Alito said the question has "national importance" and "strong likelihood that the State Supreme Court decision violates the Federal Constitution." On Wednesday, Pennsylvania agreed to segregate all ballots received after 8 p.m. on Election Day until 5 p.m. on November 6.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate in the decision, according to court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg, "because of the need for a prompt resolution of it and because she has not had time to fully review the parties' filings."

"We applaud the Court's decision to slow down, get to regular order, and let Pennsylvania have an election. Now we must vote and take time to count all eligible ballots," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement. "The denial of expedited review is good for Pennsylvania voters, who will not have the rules changed on them on the eve of the election without proper review. We know this fight may not be over and we are prepared." Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar recommended on Wednesday that if you have a mail-in ballot and have not yet returned it at this point you should drop it off in-person instead of returning it by mail. Find locations here.

SEE DECISION: SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES REPUBLICAN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA v. KATHY BOOCKVAR, SECRETARY OF PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL.

The Philadelphia bomb squad has been extra busy the past two nights as ATM explosions have been reported across the city. There were 10 explosions reported on Monday night and seven more on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Incidents last night were reported in Brewerytown, North Philly, Mayfair, Strawberry Mansion, East Falls, and Frankford. No money was taken and no arrests were made. The ATF and Philadelphia police are investigating.

UPDATE: Police have discovered a cargo van in Logan Square filled with propane tanks, torches and possible dynamite sticks. The investigation is underway.

A Philadelphia City Councilmember plans to introduce a bill that would ban police from pulling over drivers for "minor" traffic offenses. Councilmember Isaiah Thomas calls the measure the "Drive Equity Bill." The motivation for the bill stems from recent data that shows Black drivers are stopped a disproportionate number of times for minor offenses than white or Latino drivers. The data shows that only a small percentage of such stops results in the seizure of contraband such as guns or drugs.

Instead of pulling over the vehicle, Thomas still suggests officers write up the ticket and have it sent to the offender in the mail. The type of infractions include broken lights, dark tint, expired inspections, rolling stops, etc. Speeding, blowing lights, erratic driving, or other blatantly dangerous behavior will still get you lit up. "What we've been seeing in our city is not a good tool for public safety, but has sought to agitate the Black community, to the point where they do not want to work with police officers to solve crime in their neighborhoods because they've been the target of police intrusion in their lives," said Philadelphia Chief Public Defender Keir Bradford-Grey. It is expected to be introduced on Thursday. Councilmembers Curtis Jones, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Maria QuiÃ±ones-SÃ¡nchez, Kendra Brooks, Kenyatta Johnson, Jamie Gauthier, Cherelle Park, Helen Gym and Bobby Henon are co-sponsoring the bill.

Proposed Modifications to T... by WHYY News