News

Recognizing the importance of civics education, the Pennsylvania Courts recently launched an educational digital toolkit aimed at helping students learn about the work and role of the state’s judiciary. 

This infographic highlights some of the key elements offered in the toolkit – including several digital handouts and animated videos on a variety of court-related topics, 3D courtrooms tours with interactive educational touchpoints, and activities for younger students such as the Flat Judge project....

December 10

Pennsylvania’s Veterans Treatment Courts have launched an outreach campaign to encourage all justice-involved veterans to promptly notify the court, attorney or law enforcement officer that they served in the military....

November 22

Joining schools across the state, the Pennsylvania courts are celebrating American Education Week by launching a digital toolkit aimed at helping children learn about the work and role of the Pennsylvania courts.

The project was spearheaded by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Commission on Judicial Independence....

November 18

Late this afternoon an incident occurred at Blair County Magisterial District Central Court and the court facility was immediately secured. Due to the ongoing investigation, no further information is available at this time....

November 17

Focused on providing for the needs of court-involved veterans, Huntingdon County President Judge George Zanic has announced the intent to establish a regional veterans treatment court....

November 10

Pennsylvania’s veteran population ranks fourth in the U.S. with nearly 800,000 veterans as of 2020. Since 2009, Pennsylvania’s Veterans Treatment Courts have been assisting veterans who are charged with crimes and are struggling with addiction, mental illness or other co-occurring disorders....

November 09

In 2020, the number of new protection from abuse (PFA) orders filed statewide decreased by 11 percent from 2019. A PFA is a civil court order to help protect victims of domestic violence, providing relief from abuse by an intimate partner, family or household member. Additional information about protection orders is available here....

October 15

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced today future plans to commemorate its 300th anniversary....

October 13

In recognition of Constitution Day, the Pennsylvania Courts today released an infographic highlighting fundamental information about both the federal and state constitutions....

September 17

As Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court prepares for a return to in-person proceedings, the Court has issued updated COVID-19 protocols....

September 14

Nearly 100 judges statewide volunteer to join effort

Committed to the communities in which they serve, judges from across Pennsylvania have joined with local school districts to welcome children safely back for the 2021-22 school year....

August 25

In Pennsylvania, there was a 62 percent decrease in school zone traffic violations from 2019-2020. Over the last five years, 28,357 drivers were cited for either speeding in school zones or illegally passing a school bus....

August 13

Libre’s Law, the anti-cruelty law (Act 10) that strengthened the protection of animals, went into effect in late August of 2017. Since then, over 25,000 animal abuse offenses have been filed statewide –  54 percent of which were for neglect of an animal....

July 09

Recognizing the importance of identifying and understanding elder abuse for one of Pa.’s most vulnerable populations, the Pa. Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts and its elder justice partners today hosted a virtual town hall discussion on preventing and responding to financial exploitation. 
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June 23

The Pa. Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts, along with its elder justice partners, will hold a virtual town hall discussion on preventing and responding to financial exploitation.  ...

June 17

Recognizing the importance of criminal justice reform for those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), today took steps toward addressing access to justice issues in western Pennsylvania. ...

June 17

Recognizing the importance of identifying and understanding elder abuse for one of Pa.’s most vulnerable populations, the Pa. Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts and its elder justice partners today hosted a virtual town hall discussion on understanding and identifying elder abuse.  

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June 16

The Pa. Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts, along with its criminal justice partners, will hold two virtual town-hall discussions on elder abuse and financial exploitation.  ...

June 11

Lycoming County President Judge Nancy Butts today announced that retired Common Pleas Judge Kenneth D. Brown will be reinstated as a senior judge for the Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas....

June 10

Over the last five years, Pennsylvania has seen a mostly gradual decrease in identity- theft cases. Identity theft is defined as the fraudulent use of another person’s identifying information (social security number, bank account information, license etc.)....

June 10

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Max Baer today released the following statement on the passing of former Chief...

May 24

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Pennsylvania Courts today released an infographic highlighting data from the...

May 07

Pennsylvania’s Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) is advising the public to stay vigilant against a recentl...

April 13

Overall traffic citations in Pennsylvania decreased by 33 percent in 2020 during the pandemic compared to 2019. Specifically, dist...

April 01

Recognizing the importance of criminal justice reform for those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Pennsylvania Supreme C...

March 23

In recognition of March as National Women’s History Month, the Pennsylvania Courts take a look at the history of women judge...

March 04

On behalf of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, President Judge P. Kevin Brobson released the following statement recognizing...

March 01

Under the state Constitution, a Justice of the Supreme Court must retire at the end of the calendar year in which they reach the a...

February 28

Recognizing the importance of criminal justice reform for those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Pennsylvania Supreme C

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February 22

In a continued effort to ensure Pennsylvania’s Courts remain transparent and accessible, the Administrative Office of Pennsy...

February 16

Pennsylvania’s Superior and Commonwealth Courts both play a unique role in the state court system. Both Courts work to deter...

February 11

In 2001, the AOPC, through its Unified Judicial System (UJS) Web Portal, began providing the public with access to appellate court...

February 08

Focused on ensuring court information is easily accessible to the public, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has established a...

February 08

The Pennsylvania Courts have been selected this year again as a two-time winner of the National Association for Court Management (...

January 19

Focused on providing for the needs of Pennsylvanians with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), will hold a virtual forum to address access to justice issues in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties....

January 18