Magisterial District Judge Gwenn S. Knapp
District Court 15-1-04, West Chester (East side)
About District Courts
MINOR JUDICIARY / MAJOR IMPACT
It is probable that most people in West Chester base their conclusions about the quality of justice in Pennsylvania upon their experience in the District Courts. Because these are the only courts most people have reason to experience, if at all, they are often thought of as the "people's courts." Approximately 2.7 million cases are currently filed and disposed of in the minor judiciary on an annual basis.2
Our district courts are responsible for processing:
- summary motor vehicle violations, such as traffic tickets;
- summary non-traffic offenses, such as disorderly conduct, harrassment, public drunkenness, and certain shoplifting cases;
- local ordinance violations, such as parking regulations, noise, and property maintenance;
- landlord tenant matters;
- civil claims that do not exceed $8,000 ("small claims"), such as contractor/homeowner disputes, and payment collections.
Criminal cases are filed at the appropriate District Court for arraignments and preliminary hearings. Magisterial District Judges also preside over certain protection from abuse matters.3
Magisterial District Judges, previously known as justices of the peace4 and more recently as District Justices, have been a part of the judicial system of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 1776 and have been chosen through local elections since 1838. The Pennsylvania Constitution, rewritten in 1968, provides the current framework for the Commonwealth's court system. The pinnacle of Pennsylvania's Unified Judiciary is the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the foundation is the minor judiciary, or special courts.5 The District Justice system is the largest component of the minor judiciary, and its jurisdiction is established by the General Assembly.6
2 See e.g., 2008 Caseload Statistics of the Unified Judicial System, published by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, available at http://www.courts.state.pa.us/NR/rdonlyres/BDA8E900-A603-45C3-8179-50D814FEBC14/0/2008Report.pdf
3 From the homepage of the Chester County Pennsylvania District Justice Administration, available at http://dsf.chesco.org/districtjustices/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=608492/
4 Act of April 28, 1978, P.L. 202, No. 53, §3(d), 42 P.S. §20003(d) (statutory references to justices of the peace are also deemed to refer to district justices)
5 See About The Courts at http://www.courts.state.pa.us/Links/Public/AboutTheCourts.htm
6 P. Const.art.V, §7(a); district justice's jurisdiction is codified at 42 Pa. C.S. §1515(a).
