First Judicial District of Pennsylvania

The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania is the judicial district that covers Philadelphia County. It comprises the Court of Common Pleas and the Philadelphia Municipal Court, along with the administrative units that serve them, including the Adult Probation and Parole Department. Although the courts sit in Philadelphia and are largely paid for by the city, they are state courts, not city agencies: they are part of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System, and the Mayor and City Council have no control over judicial decisions. ^[1]

1 State courts, city money

Pennsylvania's judiciary is a unified system headed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which supervises all courts under the state constitution. In most of the state, county governments pay for court operations; in Philadelphia the city pays most of the FJD's costs, which means the district's budget goes through the annual city budget (see Philadelphia City Budget Process), while judges' salaries are paid by the Commonwealth. The relationship between state authority and city dollars is a recurring theme in Pennsylvania State Government and Philadelphia.

2 Governance and administration

An Administrative Governing Board oversees both courts. According to the FJD, it consists of the President Judge and Administrative Judges of the two courts and the State Court Administrator of Pennsylvania, and its chairperson is appointed annually by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. ^[2] Each court has a President Judge elected by the court's judges: the Common Pleas President Judge, currently Nina Wright Padilla, is elected by the judges of that court to a five-year term, and the Municipal Court's President Judge, currently T. Francis Shields, was elected by his colleagues in January 2024. The Common Pleas court is organized into three divisions (Trial, Family and Orphans'), each led by an Administrative Judge appointed by the Supreme Court. A court administrator manages the non-judicial staff, human resources, technology, facilities and budget. The FJD also includes units such as pretrial services, the juvenile probation function, court interpreters and the Office of Judicial Records. Courtrooms are located primarily in City Hall and the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice (commonly called the Criminal Justice Center), with family and juvenile matters in other buildings.

3 How judges are chosen

Unlike federal judges, Philadelphia's state judges are elected by the voters of Philadelphia rather than appointed. A candidate runs in the partisan primary and general elections for an initial ten-year term, and judges then stand for retention in a yes-or-no vote for additional ten-year terms; Municipal Court judges serve six-year terms. Vacancies can be filled by gubernatorial appointment with state Senate confirmation until the next election. Judicial candidates are restricted in political activity and fundraising, but local party endorsements and ballot position matter; see Elections in Philadelphia, Democratic City Committee and Ward Leaders and Committeepersons. Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, judges generally must retire at the end of the year in which they turn 75, although retired judges may serve part-time as senior judges. Complaints about judicial conduct go to the state Judicial Conduct Board, and discipline is decided by the Court of Judicial Discipline.

4 Services and programs

Beyond trials, the FJD runs specialized programs such as problem-solving courts (including mental health, drug treatment and veterans courts), the Commerce Court business docket, the Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program, and the landlord-tenant resources discussed in Eviction Diversion and Landlord-Tenant Court. The Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court article explains the divisions. Public defense is provided mainly by the Defender Association, and the District Attorney prosecutes (see Philadelphia District Attorney's Office).

5 History and controversies

Philadelphia's court system has been reorganized several times. The former Philadelphia Traffic Court was abolished by Act 17 of 2013 and its work moved to Municipal Court after a federal investigation led to charges against several Traffic Court judges and others over ticket-fixing; the federal prosecutions were brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office. After a January 2013 indictment and several guilty pleas, a federal jury on July 23, 2014 convicted three former judges of perjury before the grand jury and a fourth of lying to the FBI, and acquitted three other defendants. ^[3] In more recent years debates have focused on bail and pretrial detention, the court backlog that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, and eviction case processing, with advocates and officials proposing different remedies.

6 Using the courts

Most filings can be made at the courthouse or online through the state's e-filing system. Unrepresented litigants can find forms at self-help centers; see Legal Aid and Public Interest Law. Court records are public except where sealed or confidential by law, and are separate from the Right-to-Know Law process used for executive agencies.

See also: Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court, Adult Probation and Parole Department, Philadelphia Sheriff's Office, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.

References

1. Pennsylvania Constitution, Article V (Judiciary); First Judicial District, courts.phila.gov.
2. First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, "About" (courts.phila.gov/about).
3. U.S. Department of Justice, Eastern District of Pennsylvania press releases on the Traffic Court investigation (2013 and following); Philadelphia Inquirer coverage.
4. Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board and Court of Judicial Discipline, pacourts.us.