First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
The First Judicial District is the judicial body governing the county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It consists of the Court of Common Pleas, the Municipal Court, and Traffic Court for the jurisdiction of Philadelphia.
Although the title of the district is assigned by the Pennsylvania Unified Court System, the court operates under the county of Philadelphia. All judges serving on the bench are elected to serve their terms by registered voters in Philadelphia, rather than appointed by the executive branch of government. The First Judicial District's respective courts preside over all state and local jurisdiction
civil and criminal matters that occur within the county of Philadelphia's borders.
The trial division holds all criminal proceedings, as well as proceedings for civil matters where more than $10,000 is being challenged. The family division is discharged with resolving domestic relations and juvenile cases. The orphan's court is responsible for processing and resolving disputes of, trusts, wills, and estates. The probation
and parole
services for Philadelphia are under the jurisdiction of the Common Plea court. The Intake and Interstate Units are located in the Basement of the Criminal Justice Center, while all other units (including the Warrant Unit) are located at 1401 Arch Street.
The most severe infractions of Pennsylvania criminal law
are tried in Common Pleas; however, matters of federal law are tried in a separate court house all together belonging to the United States district court
for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.
The current President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas is the Honorable Pamela Pryor Dembe, with 90 judges (Trial Division, 67; Family Court Division, 20; and Orphans' Court Division, 3) sharing duties within Common Pleas.
Criminal Dockets would be CP-51-CR-*****-2007. CP denotes the court, in this case, Common Pleas. 51 is the county code, in this case Adams County. CR denotes the type of case, criminal. The * represents the case number and the last 4 digits are the year the case was created.
, which is a 25 judge-strong court. MC maintains jurisdiction over criminal cases where the maximum punishment possible for an offender is less than 5 years imprisonment, as well as having jurisdiction over civil cases where less than $10,000 is disputed. The civil division also handles all landlord-tenant disputes, and certain property tax and code enforcement cases.
Appeals from the Municipal Court remain within the First Judicial District by becoming a matter of the Court of Common Pleas.
Philadelphia is the only county in Pennsylvania that has a Municipal Court.
Criminal Dockets would be MC-51-CR-*****-2007
Summary Offenses are heard in Community Court, which is located on the 2nd Floor of 1401 Arch Street. The usual punishment from a summary offense is a small fine and/or Community Service. The Summary Dockets would be MC-51-SU-*****-2007
court, restricted to dealing with matters of violations; it cannot adjudicate misdemeanors or felonies. Recently, Philadelphia Traffic Court started a new program known as Date Certain. This program allows a police officer at the time of citation issuance to give a hearing date to the defendant. The defendant must still respond to Traffic Court within 10 days or face enforcement actions including the issuance of a warrant for their arrest.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. It consists of the Court of Common Pleas, the Municipal Court, and Traffic Court for the jurisdiction of Philadelphia.
Although the title of the district is assigned by the Pennsylvania Unified Court System, the court operates under the county of Philadelphia. All judges serving on the bench are elected to serve their terms by registered voters in Philadelphia, rather than appointed by the executive branch of government. The First Judicial District's respective courts preside over all state and local jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
civil and criminal matters that occur within the county of Philadelphia's borders.
Court of Common Pleas
The first of three courts of the district is the Court of Common Pleas. Led by a President Judge, Common Pleas is further broken down into three divisions: trial, family and orphan's court division.The trial division holds all criminal proceedings, as well as proceedings for civil matters where more than $10,000 is being challenged. The family division is discharged with resolving domestic relations and juvenile cases. The orphan's court is responsible for processing and resolving disputes of, trusts, wills, and estates. The probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
and parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
services for Philadelphia are under the jurisdiction of the Common Plea court. The Intake and Interstate Units are located in the Basement of the Criminal Justice Center, while all other units (including the Warrant Unit) are located at 1401 Arch Street.
The most severe infractions of Pennsylvania criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
are tried in Common Pleas; however, matters of federal law are tried in a separate court house all together belonging to the United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.
The current President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas is the Honorable Pamela Pryor Dembe, with 90 judges (Trial Division, 67; Family Court Division, 20; and Orphans' Court Division, 3) sharing duties within Common Pleas.
Criminal Dockets would be CP-51-CR-*****-2007. CP denotes the court, in this case, Common Pleas. 51 is the county code, in this case Adams County. CR denotes the type of case, criminal. The * represents the case number and the last 4 digits are the year the case was created.
Municipal Court
All criminal cases in Philadelphia initially go through Philadelphia Municipal CourtPhiladelphia Municipal Court
The Philadelphia Municipal Court handles matters of limited jurisdiction as well as landlord-tenant disputes, appeals from traffic court, preliminary hearings for felony-level offenses, and misdemeanor criminal trials...
, which is a 25 judge-strong court. MC maintains jurisdiction over criminal cases where the maximum punishment possible for an offender is less than 5 years imprisonment, as well as having jurisdiction over civil cases where less than $10,000 is disputed. The civil division also handles all landlord-tenant disputes, and certain property tax and code enforcement cases.
Appeals from the Municipal Court remain within the First Judicial District by becoming a matter of the Court of Common Pleas.
Philadelphia is the only county in Pennsylvania that has a Municipal Court.
Criminal Dockets would be MC-51-CR-*****-2007
Summary Offenses are heard in Community Court, which is located on the 2nd Floor of 1401 Arch Street. The usual punishment from a summary offense is a small fine and/or Community Service. The Summary Dockets would be MC-51-SU-*****-2007
Traffic Court
The Traffic Court is responsible for adjudicating all moving violations with a motor vehicle within Philadelphia county. It has a seven-judge panel, led by a President Judge, as well as an Administrative Judge. The court itself is a summarySummary
A summary, synopsis, or recap is a shorter version of the original. Such a simplification highlights the major points from the much longer subject, such as a text, speech, film, or event...
court, restricted to dealing with matters of violations; it cannot adjudicate misdemeanors or felonies. Recently, Philadelphia Traffic Court started a new program known as Date Certain. This program allows a police officer at the time of citation issuance to give a hearing date to the defendant. The defendant must still respond to Traffic Court within 10 days or face enforcement actions including the issuance of a warrant for their arrest.
External links
- First Judicial District
- Pennsylvania's Counties and Judicial Districts - A comprehensive list of each county in Pennsylvania, their corresponding district number, and county number