Law Offices of Joshua D Fulmer

Tonight at 9:30 Attorney Fulmer joins the live video podcast of this week's episode of Comm Majors to discuss the greatest legal thriller in the history of cinema, A Few Good Men. Link: https://www.facebook.com/CommMajors/videos/4166343723436368/

I wanted to give everyone an update on Franklin's case, my client who was arrested by ICE without a warrant at the Northampton County Courthouse on March 2. He was transported to York County Prison where ICE holds their detainees. He was taken before an immigration judge on March 16, who denied his request for a bond. That means he will be held for the entirety of his immigration proceedings, though the judge indicated he may reconsider the bond once his criminal case was res...olved. Around the same time the county was informed by ICE that they would not transport him back to Northampton County to resolve the DUI charge unless the county assured ICE that they would return Franklin to their custody after his case was completed. They also confirmed that there was no criminal warrant for his arrest and the only matter holding him was a civil immigration detainer. So essentially the immigration judge refused to let him out until his case was resolved and ICE refused to bring him here to resolve the case! Today we were able to conduct a guilty plea via video conference to the DUI charge and he was sentenced to time served. It is our hope that he can ask the immigration judge to reconsider the bond issue. Otherwise he will remain in prison, during this coronavirus outbreak, until his hearing on his petition to cancel his removal, which will be May at the earliest. I heard from his wife tonight and they are both eternally grateful for all the love and support the community has shown. Hopefully the video of his arrest will bring awareness to the frequency with which ICE makes courthouse arrests and possibly put an end to it on our county. I personally would like to thank all those who reached out and expressed support for Franklin and our efforts on his behalf. It means the world to me. Thank you.

Seeing what's happening on Riker's island has me really worried this could be our county prisons soon enough. Unlike state prisons where the population intake goes through one or two prisons and they can screen people and quarantine them, the population of county prisons change every day. New people are brought in while others are released. This puts the professionals working in the prisons at risk, and the rest of the community as well. We should be releasing as many people as possible, starting with the elderly and those who are medically compromised, especially those who are only being held on pre-trial bail! Everyone who is sent home can be placed on 14 day house arrest quarantine with GPS monitoring to ensure they're not committing crimes and not putting the community at risk until they've cleared quarantine.

We are getting a lot of questions about how the local courts being affected by COVID-19? Do you have to go to your hearing, and more importantly CAN you access the courts if you NEED to? The answers vary widely from one county to another, and depending on what kind of matter you have. Northampton County has just issued an Order cancelling the vast majority of matters between now and April 14th. There are exceptions for incarcerated individuals and people needing to access... services. We expect similar orders to be issued today from Monroe and Lehigh Counties. Attorney Fulmer is available for phone and video conferences with existing and new clients. We will not be available for in-person meetings for at least two weeks, per the suggestion of Governor Wolf to shut all non-essential businesses. But the biggest question remains: What if you NEED to access the courts? The local courts are still available for urgent matters. Individuals may obtain Protection From Abuse (PFA) Orders, most clerks are available for filing, and most Sheriff's offices are still processing Concealed Carry Permits. However, most offices/courtrooms are limiting how many people can be inside at one time, which is creating lines and sometimes lengthy wait times. Defendants who are incarcerated can still appear for bail hearings or to enter guilty pleas, particularly if doing so will allow their release from prison. Most of those proceedings are being done via video conference from the prison so that Defendants do not have to be brought to the courtrooms. That said, if you NEED to access the courts, they are still available to you. If you have a loved one who needs to have bail set, or get their case resolved to be released from prison, CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY. If you have any questions, contact the courts to confirm what services are available, as things have been changing rather quickly.

Coverage from WFMZ, including interviews with Attorney Fulmer, the County Executive, and the District Attorney. Be sure to like and follow our page to learn more about the story and how you can get involved to help! https://www.wfmz.com//article_193ebf26-5d97-11ea-837a-e355

I want to thank everyone who has expressed support for my client over the last 24 hours, and those who have focused their outrage on changing a system that let this happen. IT WORKED!!!! The county has issued a new policy that will make sure no one is arrested at the courthouse without a warrant again!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is exactly, exactly what I was hoping to see, he said. It might not get us relief for Franklin, but it sounds like it might make sure this doesn’t happen again, which gives me hope. https://www.mcall.com//mc-nws-ice-agents-arrest-dui-defend