The First Judicial District (FJD) of Pennsylvania is composed of the three courts which make up the Philadelphia County Court System: the Court of Common Pleas; Municipal Court; and Traffic Court. The operations of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania are controlled by an Administrative Governing Board which consists of the President and Administrative Judges of the three courts and the State Court Administrator of Pennsylvania. The Chairperson of the Board is appointed annually by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
The COURT OF COMMON PLEAS is a general trial jurisdiction court with a complement of ninety-three judges. The Court of Common Pleas is headed by a President Judge elected by their peers and is organized into three divisions based on case types, each led by an Administrative Judge appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Trial Division is responsible for most felony criminal and major civil cases where the contested amount exceeds $10,000; the Family Division is responsible for Domestic Relations Branch matters (divorce, paternity, custody, child support and domestic violence) and Juvenile Branch cases (delinquency, dependency, and adoptions); and the Orphans' Court Division conducts proceedings involving estates, wills and trusts.
The twenty-five judge MUNICIPAL COURT is a limited jurisdiction court of record. The Municipal Court is led by a President Judge and is organized into Criminal and Civil Divisions. The Criminal Division is responsible for trying adult criminal cases carrying a maximum sentence of incarceration of five (5) years or less. Municipal Court also has initial jurisdiction in processing every criminal arrest in Philadelphia and conducts misdemeanor trials and preliminary hearings for all felony cases. The Civil Division shares jurisdiction with the Court of Common Pleas, but in Municipal Court, civil jurisdiction is limited to those cases where the amount in controversy is $10,000 or less. All landlord-tenant disputes, certain code enforcement cases, and real estate and school tax cases of $15,000 or less are heard here. Because defendants do not have the right to a jury trial in Municipal Court, cases may be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas for a trial de novo.
The seven judge TRAFFIC COURT is headed by a President Judge and a Administrative Judge. Traffic Court adjudicates all cases originating in Philadelphia involving moving traffic violations. Like Municipal Court, all adjudications in Traffic Court are directly appealable to the Court of Common Pleas.
