Magisterial District Judge

E358164

A Magisterial District Judge is a local judicial officer in Pennsylvania who handles minor criminal cases, traffic offenses, small civil claims, and preliminary hearings in more serious matters.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf judicial office
local judge
magisterial district court judge
alsoKnownAs MDJ
district justice
appealsGoTo Court of Common Pleas
canBeDisciplinedBy Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline
cannotConduct jury trials
civilJurisdictionLimit monetary claims up to a statutory maximum (commonly around $12,000, subject to change by Pennsylvania law)
conducts preliminary hearings for felony charges
country United States of America
courtType court of limited jurisdiction
criminalJurisdiction summary offenses and certain misdemeanors
electedOrAppointed elected
electionType partisan election in Pennsylvania
governingLaw Pennsylvania Constitution
Pennsylvania Judicial Code
handles eviction proceedings
issuing arrest warrants
issuing emergency protection from abuse orders
issuing search warrants
landlord–tenant disputes
minor criminal cases
parking violations
preliminary arraignments
preliminary hearings in criminal cases
setting bail in most criminal cases
small civil claims
summary offenses
traffic offenses
jurisdiction Pennsylvania
surface form: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
levelOfCourt minor court
location magisterial district court offices throughout Pennsylvania
mayPerform wedding ceremonies in Pennsylvania
mustBeLawyer not always required by statute
partOf Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
replaced justice of the peace in Pennsylvania
requires residency in the magisterial district
roleInCivilProcess adjudicates small claims and landlord–tenant disputes
roleInCriminalProcess determines whether sufficient evidence exists to hold a defendant for trial
roleInSystem first level of court contact for most citizens in Pennsylvania
scope geographically defined magisterial district within a Pennsylvania county
subjectTo Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct
supervisedBy Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
surface form: Pennsylvania Supreme Court
termLength 6 years
trainingRequirement must complete a course of training and pass an examination prescribed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court if not already a lawyer
usesTitle The Honorable
workEnvironment magisterial district courtrooms and offices

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

MDJs alsoKnownAs Magisterial District Judge
this entity surface form: Magisterial District Judges