Opinion
No. 391 WAL 2018
02-13-2019
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Respondent v. James Calvin HAMLETT, Jr., Petitioner
ORDER
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?