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Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania

 * Login

 * Home
 * About SCJAP
   * History
   * Leadership
   * Awards
 * Learn
   * About Magisterial District Judges
   * About Philadelphia Municipal Court Judges
   * About Caseload Statistics
 * Reestablishment
 * Find a Judge
 * Contact

To search this site, enter a search term


HOME

As established in the Pennsylvania Constitution, the communities across the
Commonwealth elect district judges to make important decisions, based on the
facts and the law, in the affairs of those people who elected them. These
Special Courts, also referred to as the Minor Courts, the People’s Courts, or
the Community Courts are the first level of Pennsylvania’s unified judicial
system. These courts are presided over by magisterial district judges (MDJs) and
municipal court judges. They are often the only contact that most citizens ever
have with the courts. Such local access to swift and efficient justice is
paramount.


ABOUT US


MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT COURTS AND MUNICIPAL COURTS SERVE AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION AND
SAVE TAXPAYER MONEY

“By falling within the judicial branch of government, the District Judge is thus
charged with the responsibility of being the disinterested arbiter of disputes
and is charged further with acting as the bulwark between the police and the
rights of citizens.” – Chief Justice Ralph J. Cappy, Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, Comm v. Edmunds, 526 Pa. 374, 586 A.2nd 887 (1991)


See more


509

MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGES (MDJS)

Special Court Judges in Pennsylvania

 * 510 Magisterial District Judges (MDJs)
 * 83 Senior Magisterial District Judges
 * 27 Philadelphia Municipal Court Judges (PMCJs)
 * 4 Senior Philadelphia Municipal Court Judges
 * MDJs receive a total of 19,040 hours of Continuing Legal Education Annually
 * Phila MCJs receive a total of 372 hours of Continuing Legal Education
   Annually


67

COUNTIES

Located Across PA

 * Population of 12.8 Million People
 * 67 Counties
 * 2,561 Municipalities
 * 1,546 Townships
 * 958 Boroughs
 * 56 Cities


2245000

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL CASE FILINGS

For PA Magisterial District Judges

 * 2,800,000 New Case Filings
 * 207,000 Criminal Cases
 * 130,000 Civil Cases
 * 97,000 Landlord/Tenant Cases
 * 1,570,000 Traffic Cases
 * 238,000 Non-Traffic Cases
 * 7,000 Emergency PFAs


$287

MILLION

Magisterial Judges in PA collect annually

 * $180 Million Disbursed to State
 * $44 Million Disbursed to Counties
 * $34 Million Disbursed to Local Municipalities
 * $4 Million Disbursed to Victims for Restitution
 * $870,000 Credit for Community Service


CURRENT OFFICERS


2023-2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 * Wilden Davis
   
   President
   
   View Profile

 * Gary Whiteman
   
   1st Vice President
   
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 * Ronald Haggerty
   
   2nd Vice President
   
   View Profile

 * Allen P. Page
   
   Secretary
   
   View Profile

 * B. Denise Commins
   
   Treasurer
   
   View Profile

 * William Kissner
   
   Past President
   
   View Profile

See All


OUR MISSION

“Foster, promote and advance, without becoming involved in partisan politics of
any kind, the study and application of the laws pertaining to, administered by
and affecting Special Court Judges, the proper observance of judicial ethics and
moral obligations by and among such officers and members, the dissemination of
legal and other information for the better performance of the duties of such
offices, and for social purposes provided in the non-profit corporation.”


FIND A JUDGE


ENSURING ACCESS TO JUSTICE IS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF PENNSYLVANIA’S COURTS.

Each county in Pennsylvania is divided into magisterial districts. These
districts may consist of one municipality, or several, depending on population,
proximity and caseload. Each district has one judge presiding, except
Philadelphia that has several. Please use this locator to find a local judge for
your area and learn about him or her. Please contact the court to confirm it is
the right venue for your matter to be heard.

“Judges are different from other public officials. We do not respond to or
influence public opinion. We do not formulate public policy. We do not drive
political agendas, and we do not hand out jobs. We put on black robes, we make
very important decisions about peoples’ lives, and we do it one life at a time.
That makes our contact with the public very personal. In order to accept and
abide by those decisions, they must believe that they were rendered in a fair
and just manner by qualified, independent, impartial judges.” – Judge Kate
Ford-Elliott, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Bar Association
Judicial Reform Commission, Nov 1997

Locate a judge near me





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ADDRESS

1515 Market Street, Suite 1400 | Philadelphia, PA 19102
judicialservices@pacourts.us
215-560-6325

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reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Sitemap

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 * Home
 * About SCJAP
   * History
   * Leadership
   * Awards
 * Learn
   * About Magisterial District Judges
   * About Philadelphia Municipal Court Judges
   * About Caseload Statistics
 * Reestablishment
 * Find a Judge
 * Contact