A Higher Degree of Privacy --The History and Practice

Through Commonwealth v. Edmunds, Pennsylvania courts embraced a more expansive view of privacy than their federal counterparts.

This Lunch & Learn explores how Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution provides broader protections for privacy than the Fourth Amendment.

Using Commonwealth v. Edmunds as a lens, the discussion traces the development and application of the Kent analysis to articulate Pennsylvania’s independent constitutional tradition—and examines why the Commonwealth rejects the federal “good-faith” exception.

Presented by the Duquesne Kline American Constitution Society, with guest presenter Brandon Herring, Chief Counsel at the Allegheny County Office of Conflict Counsel.