News
2016
List by Year
Caseload statistics show PA courts processed 3.5 million cases in 2015
Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System has released its 2015 caseload statistics report containing data, charts and tables r...
December 18
Pennsylvania’s problem-solving courts - A different path for justice
Problem-solving courts – including veterans courts, adult and juvenile drug courts, DUI courts and mental health courts &nda...
December 15
PA Supreme Court institutes new continuing education requirements for judges and justices
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has adopted continuing judicial education requirements for judges serving the Supreme, Commonwealth...
December 08
Selecting jurors in a Pennsylvania trial
The right to trial by jury in criminal cases, and some civil cases, is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Pennsylvania state...
December 01
How does Pennsylvania’s new limited access law differ from expungement?
Limited access is a new law, effective Nov. 14, 2016, that lessens barriers to employment, housing and education by removing a con...
November 17
Pennsylvania cybercrime by the numbers
Cybercrime is crime conducted via the Internet or some other computer network. The top convictions in Pennsylvania for cybercrime...
November 04
Learn about Pennsylvania courts
The Pennsylvania court system is structured like a pyramid with the Supreme Court at the top. The entry level into the court syste...
October 21
Top 10 criminal convictions in Pennsylvania
According to data from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, statewide criminal convictions are at a four-year low. Wh...
October 07
New Superior Court judges sworn into office
Three people were sworn in as the newest judges of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania during a special ceremony in Philadelphia....
September 29
Protect yourself against juror scams
Although juror scams are not new, Pennsylvania courts remind people to be alert and to never give out sensitive information over t...
September 23
Supreme Court encourages people to apply for appointments to boards, commissions and independent judicial panels
EDITORS’ NOTE: Audio and video clips of Justice Wecht are available for download on the Judiciary’s media resources we...
September 15
Constitution Day
Constitution Day commemorates the day in 1787 when the most influential document in American history was signed in Philadelph...
September 15
Back to school: Traffic citations in school zones
It’s that time of year again for flashing yellow lights warning of school zone speed limits of 15 mph, and for children of a...
September 09
Court 101: Common court terms you may not know
Have you ever wondered why some courts begin with “oyez oyez?” Or tried to determine the difference between a pr...
August 26
The first stages of a criminal trial
Have you ever wondered how a preliminary arraignment is different from a preliminary hearing? The infographic below highligh...
August 12
Traffic citations in Pennsylvania
Data collected by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts shows more than 5.6 million total traffic violations were issue...
July 29
Justice Mundy takes oath of office
Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Thomas G. Saylor has administered the oath of office to Justice Sallie Updyke Mundy to bring the sta...
July 21
Court 101: Understanding civil cases in Pennsylvania
Civil cases resolve disputes between or among people, organizations or the government, wherein the rights of each party are decide...
July 08
Newly confirmed jurists to serve on appellate courts
Pennsylvania’s appellate court benches added six new jurists today when the state Senate confirmed Gov. Tom Wolf’s nom...
June 28
Are homicides seasonal in Pennsylvania?
Statewide homicide rates have declined slightly since 2013. The infographic below highlights key data and demographics about homic...
June 24
Court 101: Common court terms you may not know
Legal concepts and court terms can be complex. The infographic below highlights a few of these important court terms or visit www....
June 10
Pennsylvania courts release video to help parents navigate the dependency process
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court today released a comprehensive video for parents whose children have been removed from their ca...
June 06
Pennsylvania’s dependency system celebrates 10-year milestone
HARRISBURG — Ten years ago, Pennsylvania’s State Children’s Roundtable (SRT) launched a coalition of judges, cou...
May 31
Women on the bench in Pennsylvania
It has been 86 years since the first woman, Sara M. Soffel (Allegheny), was appointed as a judge in Pennsylvania. Today, 28 percen
...
May 31
Pennsylvania children under dependency court supervision
Pennsylvania court data shows that 18,339 children were under supervision of dependency court in 2014, with 45 percent of those ch...
May 13
State of mortgage foreclosures in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, lenders are required to provide evidence of overdue payments to the court before foreclosing. Overall, mortgage
...
April 29
Pennsylvania high schooler among national civics essay winners
A McDowell High School student in Erie, Pennsylvania, won second place in the National Center for State Courts’ Civics Edu...
April 29
A snapshot of sexual offenders in Pennsylvania
Under Pennsylvania’s Adam Walsh Act, 4,325 people were sentenced as sexual offenders between January 2013 – December...
April 15
Distracted driving citations on the rise in Pennsylvania
Distracted driving citations increased by 43% statewide between 2014 and 2015 – with more men being cited (67%) than women...
April 01
Chief Justice Saylor Reminds Lawyers of Need to Provide Public Service
Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor is asking lawyers to support the Commonwealth’s civil legal aid programs by providing pro bo...
April 01
Court 101: Understanding the criminal case process
A criminal charge alleges that a violation of the criminal law – an offense against the community – has occurred. An...
March 18
Justice Eakin retires
Justice J. Michael Eakin submitted his letter of retirement from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after 14 years of service on...
March 15
Looking Inside the Pennsylvania Criminal Courtroom
Courts are at the very foundation of the American legal system. Two types of cases are taken to court: civil (disagreements abou...
March 03
PA Courts Collect $464.5 million in 2015
Pennsylvania courts collected more than $464.5 million in fees, fines, costs and restitution in 2015, including a record $92 mil...
February 21
Judiciary Budget Relative to State Budget
Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System supports hundreds of magisterial, trial and appellate courts statewide that process...
February 18
Protection from abuse orders – by the numbers
Statewide and county-by-county protection from abuse (PFA) data from Pennsylvania courts is available via an interactive dashboa...
February 05
Language Access in Pennsylvania Courts
Pennsylvania courts have seen substantial increases in language interpreter requests over the past few years, with more than 10...
January 21
National essay contest challenges students to write about Miranda rights
"You have the right to remain silent...” What are Miranda rights, and why are they important? T...
January 18
Newly elected Superior Court judge to take oath of office
Philadelphia Judge Alice Beck Dubow will be sworn in as a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Ja...
January 12
Pennsylvania Courts Highlight “Normalcy” for Children in Foster Care
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer says a new educational video released today highlights the benefits of a new child w...
January 10
Infographic: Three things you may not know about the new Supreme Court justices
Pennsylvania’s judiciary this week welcomed three new members to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, including Justices Chr...
January 07
New Commonwealth Court president judge elected
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania today announced the election of Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt as its president judge. Judge...
January 04