Trial Division


The Trial Division is one of three divisions of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The Trial Division of the Court of Common Pleas has general jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, excluding Family Division or Orphans' Court matters.

The Court of Common Pleas - Trial Division is composed of seventy commissioned judges. The judges in commission are supplemented by the services of senior judges. The Division is divided into two sections - Civil and Criminal. Forty-one commissioned judges are assigned to the criminal programs and twenty-nine are assigned to civil programs. There are approximately one-thousand employees in the many separate departments throughout the Trial Division.

Office of the Administrative Judge

The Trial Division is led by an Administrative Judge, who is appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and serves at the pleasure of the Supreme Court. On January 27, 2016, Judge Jacqueline F. Allen was appointed Administrative Judge. As Administrative Judge, she is the approving authority for all administrative matters associated with the Trial Division.

The duties of the Administrative Judge of the Trial Division include but are not limited to:

  • Assignment of judges within the Trial Division, along with designation and use of all rooms assigned to the Division for judicial use, excepting chambers for each judge;
  • Oversight of case management practices in both the civil and criminal sections;
  • Personnel administration within the Trial Division;
  • Preparation and analysis of periodic reports of facts and statistics concerning the disposition of cases;
  • Coordination of the use of technology to expedite the timely disposition of cases;
  • Operation of the First Judicial District's Jury Commission;
  • Administrative oversight of fiscal matters that relate to the Trial Division;
  • Administrative oversight of the Adult Probation and Parole Department.

Civil Section

The Supervising Judge of the Civil Section is the Honorable Idee C. Fox. Civil has jurisdiction over actions at law and equity along with appeals from Municipal Court and certain administrative agencies and boards. The Trial Division Civil has jurisdiction over civil claims involving amounts in excess of $10,000. The variety of civil actions that may be brought in the Trial Division Civil include Negligence, Contract and Equity Action.

Criminal Section

The Supervising Judge of the Criminal Section is the Honorable Leon W. Tucker. Criminal has jurisdiction over all felony cases as well as appeals from Municipal Court for a trial de novo, including a right to a trial by jury. Among the types of cases that fall within the assignments of the Trial Division Criminal are homicide cases, capital PCRA cases and felony cases. The Probation Department and Pretrial Services are included in the Criminal Section of the Division.

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Interpreter Services

If you or someone you know requires the use of a language interpreter, free of charge, please contact Elizabeth McCarrick, Interpreter Coordinator at 215-683-8000, or email interpreters@courts.phila.gov and we will be happy to assist you.

To contact Court Interpreter Administration, click here.
Para contactar a la Oficina Administrativa de Intérpretes de los Juzgados, haga un clic aquí.

Para solicitar un intérprete, haga un clic aquí.

Interpreter Request Forms. Please select a Language:

Continuing Legal Education

The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania has been approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Education Board as an Accredited Provider of continuing legal education courses.

Legal Assistance

If you need legal assistance, you may wish to contact the following organizations:

If you can't afford a lawyer. How can you get access to legal help?

If you have a criminal charge and cannot afford legal counsel, contact your local public defender's office. The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network helps those who cannot afford a lawyer with civil matters.

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Court Locations
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All Court Offices are open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday unless stated otherwise.

Municipal Court - Criminal Division
Preliminary Arraignment Courtroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Municipal Court - Traffic Division
Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Cases of Public Interest

The following select documents provide quick access to information on cases of public interest in Philadelphia County.

Updates to these cases are made on a regular basis. For more information about any one of these cases, please contact the Philadelphia Courts Communications staff.

Court News

Friday, October 20, 2017
First Judicial District
Request for applications (RFA) for Certified Spanish Interpreter Contract Position Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Friday, October 20, 2017
First Judicial District
View the Judicial Schedules for the week of October 22, 2017. Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Thursday, October 19, 2017
First Judicial District
NOTICE: View the EMERGENCY JUDGE ASSIGNMENT for the Week of October 20, 2017 through October 27, 2017 Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Friday, October 13, 2017
First Judicial District
View the Judicial Schedules for the week of October 15 2017. Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Wednesday, October 11, 2017
First Judicial District
NOTICE: View the EMERGENCY JUDGE ASSIGNMENT for the Week of October 13, 2017 through October 20, 2017 Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Tuesday, October 10, 2017
First Judicial District
CLE Course: Elder Justice Resource Center Volunteer Attorney Training Program: Volunteer Attorney Training Program: Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation & Ejectments. Thursday, November 2, 2017. 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Friday, October 06, 2017
First Judicial District
View the Judicial Schedules for the week of October 8 2017. Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

Friday, September 29, 2017
First Judicial District
View the Judicial Schedules for the week of October 1, 2017. Documents are in Adobe PDF Format

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Court Fees

Office of Judicial Records

All documents are in Adobe PDF format.
The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to view, print and search these PDF documents. Please download this free software from the Adobe Acrobat Web site.

Please note that the Philadelphia Courts does not provide Technical Support for Acrobat Reader Software. For technical support, please contact Adobe.

Courthouse Room Reservations

Courthouse Reservations

If your organization is seeking to request the use of courthouse facilities, please email the following to crtrmrsrv@courts.phila.gov

Please provide at least 10 business days before the event to process, reserve and hold the date(s) the individual / group is interested in reserving

1. Name and address of your organization
2. Contact person with contact information
3. Date(s)
4. Time(s)
5. Purpose (mock trials competition, meeting, etc)
6. Number and type of rooms (courtroom, conference room, etc)
7. Number of people attending
8. Is your organization an 501(C)(3) non-profit

Please note: Courtrooms are only available for reservations after hours and on weekends. There is a fee of $150 per room for any organization that is not a 501(C) (3) non-profit.

Departments of the First Judicial District
Elder Justice & Civil Resource Center

The Elder Justice & Civil Resource Center ("The Center") is a court-based resource center for seniors, located at Philadelphia City Hall, to provide services for persons age 60 and over involved in legal proceedings or in need of legal services or resources.

Employment

Office of Human Resources
First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
City Hall, Room 668
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Hours of operation:
Mon-Fri: 8:00 am-5:00 pm ET
Tel: 215 683-6950
Fax: 215 683-6952
Email: hr@courts.phila.gov

FJD Employee Sick Hotline Instructions
Medical and Dental forms for Employees
Judicial Community Outreach

Welcome to the Judicial Community Outreach-Judicial Ambassador Program. The First Judicial District has initiated a program where Judicial Ambassadors are available for speaking engagements. Please carefully review the information and protocols concerning the program before making a request. While we will not be able to honor all requests, we look forward to your submission for a speaker. All requests will be carefully considered.

Judicial Art and History
Phone Directory

For general Court information, contact (215) 686-7000.

Municipal Phone Directory

This section allows you to search for the contact information of any City of Philadelphia employee. Enter an employee's first or last name and click "search", or select a department from the list.

You may also search by first initial if you do not know the exact spelling of a name.

For general City information, contact (215) 686-1776.

Publications

All documents are in Adobe PDF format.
The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to view, print and search these PDF documents. Please download this free software from the Adobe Acrobat Web site.

Please note that the Philadelphia Courts does not provide Technical Support for Acrobat Reader Software. For technical support, please contact Adobe.

Public Access Policy
ADA Policy, Forms and Coordinators

The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania complies with The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which requires that all court services and facilities be as reasonably accessible to persons with disabilities as those without disabilities.

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodations to file a claim, participate in a court proceeding, or use any service provided by The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, complete the Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form and return it to the ADA Coordinator(s) for the applicable Court, Division or Department. A current copy of the ADA Coordinator list is available at http://fjd.phila.gov/ada.asp. Please call 215-683-6950 if you cannot determine the name of your ADA Coordinator.

Requests for reasonable accommodation must be made at least three business days in advance of the court activity. Because some accommodations require additional time, as much notice as possible is requested. On occasion, the court activity may be postponed until an accommodation is provided.

If you believe that there has been a violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the provision of services, programs, or activities by the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, you may file a Grievance utilizing the Grievance Form below.

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Certified Spanish Interpreter Contract Position,Documents are in Adobe PDF Format
You are invited to submit an Application for a Certified Spanish Interpreter Contract Position in accordance with the attached Position Announcement and Sample Contract. All applications can be submitted to: Procurement Unit, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Hall, Room 368, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 OR Via Email to Procurement_cityhall@courts.phila.gov. Applications must be received at the above address or via email no later than 3:00 P.M., Tuesday, November 21, 2017. Late applications will not be considered regardless of the reason.

Pertinent dates are as follows:

Posting Date: Friday, October 20, 2017

Proposals Due: Proposals must be submitted no later than 3:00 P.M., Tuesday, November 21, 2017.

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