If you don’t want to hire Sullivan | Simon for your ghostwriting needs (you do), maybe you should employ Christopher Toland instead. Mr. Toland did a heck of a job pro se raising a claim in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court of an ex post facto violation by the Board of Probation and Parole. Mr. Toland was sentenced to 11 to 40 years in 1993. In 1996, the Pennsylvania Legislature amended the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole Law so that the Parole Board “shall first and foremost seek to protect the safety of the public.” The case was before the Court on the Board’s preliminary objections. The Court overruled the preliminary objections and allowed Mr. Toland’s claims to proceed. He asserted that the Board must apply the law before 1996. To do otherwise would be an ex post facto violation. He also claimed that the Board violated his due process by repeatedly referencing “four” rapes. He was convicted of one incident. And he claimed that the Board violated his due process rights when it failed to follow the statutory scheme. He sought mandamus relief on each claim. Whether he wins or loses, he did an admirable job litigating his matter from state custody.
