Pa. Supreme Court Celebrating 300th Years

To commemorate its 300th anniversary, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hold a special argument session in Old City Hall, Philadelphia, in the Independence National Historical Park on May 18, followed by a two-day symposium on May 19 and 20 at the National Constitution Center.

The symposium will review key aspects of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's jurisprudence, use the Court's tricentennial to explore broader issues in our republican form of government, and expound on the role of today's Supreme Court as the administrator of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System.

Additional information is available here and via Facebook @PennsylvaniaCourts and Twitter @PACourts.

Coronavirus Information

The Pennsylvania Judiciary continues to monitor developments on the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and any potential impact on court operations. 

PA Courts Recognize Autism Acceptance Month

With April designated as Autism Acceptance Month, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is promoting autism acceptance throughout the court system and encouraging judges and staff to join them in the effort.

In 2020, the Supreme Court signaled its commitment to Pennsylvanians with autism by forming a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to heighten the focus on helping judges better understand the necessary evaluations required for diagnosis, treatment and services for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Since that time, Justice Dougherty has partnered with the Pennsylvania Courts’ Office of Children and Families in the Courts to create a taskforce known as the Autism in the Courts Taskforce. The taskforce is focused on providing increased training opportunities for judges, helping further identify gaps in the system for individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities and creating a local roadmap to resources and services.

Multilingual Landlord/Tenant Forms Available in 12 Languages

Landlord/tenant forms are available in English and 12 foreign languages most frequently used in Pennsylvania on the Forms for the Public page and on the Bilingual Forms page. The Pennsylvania courts stand committed to translating frequently used court forms into a number of different languages to ensure access for all court users. For more information about language access in the Unified Judicial System, Click here.

Formularios Multilingües de Desahucio Disponibles en 12 Idiomas

Formularios de desahucio están disponibles en inglés y los 12 idiomas extranjeros utilizados con mayor frecuencia en Pennsylvania en la página de Formularios para el Público y la página de Formularios Bilingües. Los tribunales de Pennsylvania están comprometidos a traducir los formularios más frecuentemente utilizados a diferentes idiomas para asegurar acceso a los tribunales para todos los usuarios. Para más información sobre acceso lingüístico en el Unified Judicial System, pulse aquí.

Pa. Courts Launch Civics Education Toolkit

As one of the three branches of government, the judiciary reflects the core values of American democracy while acting as one of its essential pillars. Created by the Pa. Supreme Court, the Commission on Judicial Independence is charged with fostering a greater public understanding about the role of the courts and explaining the essential need of an independent judiciary.

As part of their efforts, a comprehensive civics education toolkit was developed as a resource for teachers, students and the public to learn more about the work, role and structure of the state’s courts.

AOPC/IT: A Retrospective

The primary function of AOPC/IT is to develop and maintain statewide case management systems for Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System (UJS), while providing other court-related applications and technology services and support to the UJS and its 60 judicial districts.

To learn more, view AOPC/IT: A Retrospective.