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COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Respondent v. James Calvin HAMLETT, Jr., Petitioner

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania2019-02-13No. No. 391 WAL 2018
202 A.3d 45

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Opinion

majority opinion

PER CURIAM.

AND NOW, this 13th day of February, 2019, the Petition for Allowance of Appeal is GRANTED. The issue, rephrased for clarity is:

Can the tension between the well-settled rule that the Commonwealth bears the burden of demonstrating harmless error beyond a reasonable doubt and the contradictory principle that an appellate court has the ability to affirm a valid judgment or verdict for any reason appearing as of record be reconciled? If these conflicting principles must be reconciled in favor of the Commonwealth proving harmlessness beyond a reasonable doubt, did the Superior Court err in finding harmless error sua sponte?