News & Brews December 29, 2025
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Pa. Supreme Court: Google search history not private
PennLive reports that the state Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that “an average internet user doing a search on an unencrypted browser, such as Google, has no enforceable expectation of privacy.” Upholding a 2023 Superior Court ruling, the high court held “that when an internet user performs a search on a website such as Google, he or she voluntarily enables the creation and collection of data and, in such circumstances, has no societally recognized expectation of privacy.” The case stemmed from a man’s challenge to his conviction on rape, kidnapping, and other charges. Justice Christine Donohue was the sole dissenter.
Cutler will not seek re-election
Catching up on some pre-Christmas news here. Former Pa. House Speaker Bryan Cutler (Lancaster County) will not seek re-election to the state House in November. Cutler said, “It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve and give back to the community that has given so much to me.” Several folks have already begun lining up in hopes of running for the seat.
McCormick ends first year with Letter to Pennsylvanians
In another pre-Christmas news catch-up story, Sen. Dave McCormick is ending his first year in office with his First Annual Letter to Pennsylvanians. In a news release, McCormick said of the letter, “I wanted to try a new way of reporting to my constituents that reflects the accountability I embraced in the private sector…. I owe it to my fellow Pennsylvanians to give an honest assessment of the first year and to keep listening to their feedback.” In the letter, McCormick reviews his goals and outlines what he’s learned and areas for improvement.
Shapiro goes to court to defend child mutilation
Gov. Shapiro is the sole governor to join a lawsuit opposing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ actions to stop providers who engage in child mutilation in the name of “gender-affirming care.” This seems a good time to look at what the mainstream media is ignoring. When gender doctors think the cameras aren’t rolling, they admit they’re pretty much “winging it,” and they “acknowledge they perform life-altering procedures on vulnerable youth with no supportive evidence.”
Op-Ed: Shapiro is ‘ignoring a crisis’
Joshua Robertson, senior pastor of the Rock Church in Harrisburg and founder/CEO of Black Pastors United for Education, writes in the Washington Post that Gov. Josh Shapiro was right to sign a law recently ending “hair-based discrimination.” But he is ignoring “the biggest race-based crisis in Pennsylvania.” Namely, “the fact that students of color are so far behind their White counterparts academically.” Instead, Shapiro “is blackwashing — giving the appearance that he’s delivering for communities of color when he’s only doing the barest of minimums.”