Court Opinion

ID: 9754875
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 20:17:17.600305+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:00.295753
License: Public Domain

*399SPAETH, Judge,
dissenting:
As the other opinions demonstrate, Rule 21 is (to put it gently) obscure. We should therefore construe it to achieve the best result. The best result (as the majority notes, and as the dissent seems to concede) is to preclude shopping around for a compliant magistrate. While the cases are inconsistent, in Commonwealth v. Myers, 239 Pa.Super. 459, 361 A.2d 884 (1976), we did say that “a magistrate . can only issue a warrant to search persons or places in the district in which he was elected.” Id., 239 Pa.Super. at 462, 361 A.2d at 885. I see no useful purpose in limiting this statement, and find it sufficient authority to reverse and award a new trial. I hope that in the meantime Rule 21 will be rewritten.