Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Appellee v. Blaine Baldwin, Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment, holding that under 42 Pa.C.S. § 9765 the two firearm offenses did not merge because each contains a statutory element the other lacks, making the consecutive sentences proper. The Court applied a plain‑text, elements‑based reading of the statute and rejected the appellant’s double‑jeopardy argument. Two concurring opinions noted concerns about the statute’s breadth and the reasonableness review of sentencing.