Week 2 Assignment Brian Eckels Business Law Professor Riggs March 13, 2013

Courts in Pennsylvania have a basic structure within the state. There are five levels of courts in Pennsylvania. The court structure is similar to a pyramid, with the many lower courts on the bottom, and the fewer higher courts toward the top (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013) From lowest to highest are Minor Courts, Courts of Common Pleas, Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court. Within Pennsylvania, the Minor Courts and Courts of Common Pleas are the courts that are specific by county. The higher courts in Pennsylvania are statewide, and fewer. Minor courts, also called special courts are the first level of courts in Pennsylvania. These many courts are found across the state, in every county. The judges in these courts are elected in each municipality, and in most counties in Pennsylvania, they do not have to be lawyers, they simply have to pass a qualifying test (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). These courts hear non-jury criminal and civil hearings, traffic cases, and can determine and set bail on cases that dont include murder (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts in the state, and are organized into 60 districts that generally follow the geographic boundaries of the states counties (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). Depending on the size of the district, the specific court has anywhere from one to 93 judges, and each court has a president judge and court administrator (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Courts of Common Pleas are responsible for hearing several issues. They hear appeals, mostly from minor courts, and are responsible for hearing matters that involve children and familes (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Commonwealth Court is a court that is unique to the state of Pennsylvania. One of the two intermediate appellate courts, it is responsible for hearing legal matters that involve state

and local governments, and regulatory agencies. The Commonwealth Court also hears appeals from decisions made by the Courts of Common Pleas (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). This court also acts as a trial court when lawsuits are filed by or against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Commonwealth Court has three panels of three judges, found in three major cities in the state, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is the second of the two intermediate appellate courts. It is often the final decision maker of legal disputes in the state (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). While the Supreme Court above the Superior Court may grant a petition to review a decision made by the Superior Court, most of the petitions are denied and the Superior Courts ruling is upheld (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Superior Court has panels of three judges, also in the major cities of Pennsylvania, with six more judges than the Commonwealth Court. The Superior Court hears appeals from the Courts of Common Pleas, and appeals on matters involving children and families (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the state, and also the oldest appellate court in the nation, and has authority over the entire Pennsylvania court system (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). While it receives over 2000 appeals each year, it chooses to hear only those cases that are of statewide importance or ones that require clarification of law (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013). There are seven justices that hear cases, and they can take control over any case in the state when it is believed the issue is of immediate public importance, known as the Kings Bench power or extraordinary jurisdiction (The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, 2013).

References (2013). Retrieved from The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania: http://www.pacourts.us/learn/