• posted: Mar. 15, 2021
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense,  Drug Crimes
• legalization,  recreational marijuana,  senate bill 350

It’s been less than five years since Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill that legalized medical marijuana and just over two years since the first Pennsylvania dispensaries opened. In that Read More

• posted: Feb. 15, 2021
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• bill cosby,  prior bad acts

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is deciding whether five witnesses in Bill Cosby’s 2018 sexual assault trial should have been barred from testifying about “prior bad acts” that may have influenced Read More

• posted: Jan. 15, 2021
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• civil disobedience act,  civil disorder charge

Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia and other large cities around the country have revived a little-used criminal law from the 1960s civil rights era to charge protestors with obstructing law enforcement Read More

• posted: Dec. 15, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• castle doctrine,  stand your ground

One nightmare everyone dreads is being awakened by the sound of breaking glass or other unexpected noise coming from downstairs and encountering an intruder. In that scenario, what can you Read More

• posted: Nov. 15, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• interdiction programs,  pretextual stop

You are driving on a Pennsylvania highway and you notice a police car following you, even though you’re not speeding, driving erratically or otherwise violating traffic laws. Suddenly, the police Read More

• posted: Oct. 15, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• lifetime placement,  Megan's Law,  sex offenders

Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), popularly known as Megan’s Law, has been on the books since 1995. SORNA requires that certain designated adult and juvenile sex offenders Read More

• posted: Sep. 15, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition

A person who has gone their entire life without getting into legal trouble might one day get behind the wheel after too many drinks, use recreational marijuana or make another Read More

• posted: Aug. 15, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Drug Crimes
• constructive possession,  drug possession,  guilt by association

If you’re like most people, hearing the phrase “drug possession” brings to mind someone caught with drugs in their hand, in their jacket pocket or even hidden in their shoes. Read More

• posted: Jul. 20, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• DUI
• chemical test,  O'Connell warnings,  right to refuse

A charge of driving under the influence can negatively affect your life whether or not you’re convicted. If you are a first-time Pennsylvania DUI offender, the good news is you Read More

• posted: Jun. 15, 2020
• Matthew R. Zatko
• Criminal Defense
• investigations,  plea deals,  trials

Courtroom trial dramas on TV make for compelling entertainment, but they bear little resemblance to how the criminal court system actually works. Criminal cases work through the system in a Read More