One of the foundations of our country is the rights that we are guaranteed under the United States Constitution. At Shields & Hoppe, 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 Civil Rights are being violated, please contact us. We would be glad to discuss your case with you.

One area of the law that we have had great success in First Amendment and Religious Freedom issues. These are cutting edge issues which have a significant impact on our society as a whole. Some matters that we have been involved in include:

• Our Firm successfully represented a local church in a zoning dispute. This case was captioned: 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. This was the first time this issue had been ruled on.
• Commonwealth v. Marcavage - Our Firm successfully defended the "Philly 5" against criminal charges brought against them by the City of Philadelphia as a result of their exercise of their right to free 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 characterized the Bible as "hate speech".
• We have represented parents who are home schooling their children
• We have provided legal advice to students on issues concerning the rights of religious students in public schools
• We have provided legal representation to churches in various matters.
• We have appeared on National television concerning First Amendment/Religious Freedom issues