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The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Friday overturned the dismissal of a lawsuit that was filed to block the planned removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue, writing in a 24-page opinion that a lower court “erred” in its dismissal of the case in 2022. Philadelphia litigator George Bochetto filed the lawsuit, and subsequent appeal, on behalf of t...

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Many times we have described the historical and cultural reasons why attacks on Columbus are based on falsehoods, unacceptable and wrong. The Italian American comity is defending itself and the symbol it has chosen, in different ways. One of these ways is the legal way. Those who removed the Columbus statues and cancelled Columbus Day, not only obe...

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George Bochetto — the attorney representing Italian Sons and Daughters of America in its fight to block the removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue — presented legal arguments to the judges of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning. ISDA’s legal position, in part, stems from a 1955 ordinance that permitted the statue’s construc...

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"No other Italian American organization has ever weighed in with the U.S. Supreme Court on a cultural issue or devoted so much time and resources to protecting the Italian heritage as has COPOMIAO under the visionary stewardship of Hon. Basil Russo; and the unwavering support of his distinguished peers, the 1492 Society and Philadelphia City Counci...

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Basil M. Russo remains resolute. The fight is onward. To the U.S. Supreme Court we go! The next battleground is the biggest. Judge Russo leads the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). This past January, he and COPOMIAO made history when, through their youth committee, headed by John Viola and Patrick O’Boyle,...

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Joey Giardello wasn’t born with that name, but it’s the one that became famous. Well, famous enough to land him a statue on East Passyunk Avenue, and to bring standing prominent enough for a defamation suit over a Hollywood movie starring Denzel Washington. (The lawyer who got that suit settled, George Bochetto, has a connection to another statue:...

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A historical reckoning is underway in the U.S. and Italy as governmental and cultural leaders work to reset prevailing narratives that, for decades, have maligned Columbus’ legacy and the monuments that pay homage to him. In Italy, Genoa’s Mayor Marco Bucci passed a resolution establishing a center for Colombian studies that will be housed in the h...

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Crews removed the box surrounding the Christopher Columbus statue in South Philadelphia's Marconi Plaza on Sunday night. Only Action News was there as crews began the removal process around 8 p.m. The box has surrounded the statue for two years. On Friday, a judge ruled it needed to be removed. Attorney George Bochetto, who represents the statue's...

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It’s official: South Philadelphia’s 146-year-old Columbus statue is staying put in Marconi Plaza, and the plywood box — concealing the monument from public view — must be removed, a panel of Commonwealth Court judges ruled on Friday. The appeals loss is a bitter one for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, who was openly criticized by Common Pleas Court...

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Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) and its legal team, led by George Bochetto, Esq., strongly believe that Common Pleas Judge John McVay Jr. erred in his ruling. The Court ruled that the ISDA may not infringe on the City’s right to free speech, but the problem is: that was not the issue before the Court. Our Complaint raises the issue tha...

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