For the Defense - Vol. 6, Issue 1 - 36
A Summary of Four of the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania's Top Decisions
Affecting Criminal Defense in 2020
Jessica A. Fiscus
I
n this past year, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
has issued many decisions that will impact our
work as criminal defense practitioners. This
article will highlight four of the most significant.
Commonwealth v. Alexander, 243 A.3d 177
(Pa. 2020)
In Alexander, the Supreme Court considered
whether to overrule its plurality decision in
Commonwealth v. Gary,1 which held that the
federal automobile exception to the warrant
requirement applies in Pennsylvania. The federal
exception did not require an assessment of whether
exigent circumstances exist.
36
For The Defense l Vol. 6, Issue 1
In the instant case, officers stopped Alexander's
vehicle and smelled marijuana. Alexander
admitted that he and his passenger, who owned
the vehicle, had just smoked a blunt. The police
arrested Alexander, removed the passenger from
the vehicle, and conducted an immediate search.
The officers found a metal lockbox, which they
opened with a key found on Alexander's keychain.
The box contained heroin. Alexander filed a motion
to suppress, which the trial court denied, and
Alexander was convicted after a non-jury trial. On
appeal, the Superior Court affirmed, citing Gary for
the proposition that only probable cause is needed
for the search and the search can extend to any
For the Defense - Vol. 6, Issue 1
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