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Supreme Court Announces Pilot Program to Ease and Expedite Family Court Matters

News Article

December 16, 2002

HARRISBURG, December 17, 2002 — Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Stephen A. Zappala announced today that the Supreme Court is establishing a pilot program in Allegheny, Berks, Lackawanna and Philadelphia counties to promote the prompt resolution of family court matters. An order issued today by the Supreme Court that establishes changes in the Rules of Civil Procedure related to domestic relations matters lays the groundwork for the program. Though the new rules were promulgated by the court statewide, they were suspended in all but the four participating counties pending the outcome of the pilot program. “This is a big step for domestic relations and for the best interest of families going through one of the most difficult experiences one can suffer,” said Justice Sandra Schultz Newman who co-chaired a committee that helped develop the new rules. Key elements in the pilot program include: • Creating set time limits for scheduling hearings and rendering decisions. • Requiring family court hearings and trials to be heard on continuous days until a case is fully presented or within a specified time period. • Hearing related issues concurrently when possible to reduce the time and expense to both families and trial courts. The goal of assigning the same primary case number to different aspects of a family case — such as support and property distribution — is to enhance consistency and efficiency in cases brought before the courts. • Authorizing local Domestic Relations Sections of Common Pleas Court, which often are the first point of contact with the courts in a family matter, to facilitate the entry of agreed-upon custody orders. Launching the pilot project is the latest example of the Supreme Court’s ongoing commitment toward enhancing the effective and efficient administration of justice in Pennsylvania through collaborative efforts involving both the bench and bar. Justice Newman and Superior Court Judge Kate Ford Elliott co-chaired a Conference on Family Court Reform in 1997 that was co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession and the Family Law Section. As a result of that conference, a Task Force on Family Court Reform was created. In addition to the state bar association, the task force also included members of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The task force was charged with studying problems and innovations in family court procedures in Pennsylvania and making specific recommendations for reform. The task force surveyed each judicial district in the commonwealth, including personal contacts with family court judges and administrators, to obtain an understanding of flaws in the system as well as efforts being made in individual judicial districts to enhance the methods of handling family law cases. The task force also studied models in other states. “Pennsylvania’s parents, children and courts will benefit from the valuable insight provided by the dedicated members of the conference and task force,” Judge Ford Elliott said. “All of us felt — and the Supreme Court agrees — that rules changes can make our family courts even more efficient and user friendly.” The Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee, under former Chairman David S. Rasner, Esq. of Philadelphia and current Chairman, Dauphin County Judge Jeannine Turgeon, recommended new family court rules. The four counties selected for the program include a diverse geographical mix and two of the largest judicial districts in Pennsylvania. Representatives from each of the four counties also agreed to participate in the program.

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