CIVIL RIGHTS PRACTICE AREA
The rights that we are guaranteed under the United States Constitution form the foundation of our country. At Hoppe & Martin, our attorneys believe strongly in the protection of these rights. When we become aware of situations where a client's rights are being violated, whether through the denial of due process, denial of rights under the First Amendment or denial of rights in criminal process, we aggressively work to defend those rights on behalf of our clients.
If you believe that your rights are being violated, please contact us. We would be honored to discuss your situation with you and if appropriate have the opportunity to advocate on your behalf.
One area of the law where we have had great success is in First Amendment and Religious Freedom issues. Some recent examples:
- Ted Hoppe successfully represented a local church in a zoning dispute - Freedom Baptist Church v. Township of Middletown. One of the results of this litigation was a court decision affirming the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, the first time this had been ruled on.
- Commonwealth v. Marcavage - Ted Hoppe participated in the successful defense of the "Philly 5" against criminal charges by the City of Philadelphia as a result of their exercising freedom of speech on the public streets of Philadelphia
- We successfully represented an individual against criminal charges which arose when he attempted to read from the Bible during a public comment time at a Borough of Lansdowne Council meeting - one of the counsel members had characterized the Bible as "hate speech"
- Represented parents who are home schooling their children
- Students received advice on the rights of religious students in public schools
- Churches were afforded legal representation on various matters
- Appeared on national TV speaking on the First Amendment/Religious Freedom
If you have questions about a civil rights issue confronting you, or would like to discuss the aspects of your case, please call us on tel. (610) 444-2001.