Berks County Magisterial District, Pennsylvania
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The Berks County Magisterial District Court resides in Pennsylvania. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction[edit]
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | Minor courts, or special courts, are the first level of Pennsylvania's judiciary. These courts are presided over by magisterial district judges (MDJs) and municipal court judges. MDJs do not have to be lawyers, but they are required to pass a qualifying exam. Each court has its own elected judges. Responsible for
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Selection method[edit]
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts are selected in partisan elections. They serve six-year terms. After their initial term, magistrates must run for new terms in contested races.[3][4]
Qualifications
A judge must be:
- a local resident for at least one year;[4]
- a state bar member;*
- no younger than 21; and
- no older than 75.
*Magisterial district judges may alternatively pass a training course to sidestep the bar member requirement.[4]
Judicial elections in Pennsylvania[edit]
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections
Pennsylvania is one of seven states that use partisan elections to initially select judges and then use retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
Primary election[edit]
Though the state holds partisan elections, most candidates cross-file with the major political parties. If a candidate wins both the Republican and Democratic primary, he or she runs unopposed in the general election.
Retention election[edit]
All judges except those of the magisterial districts face retention elections following their initial term. After a judge has won an initial partisan election, subsequent terms are attained through retention elections. In retention elections, judges do not compete against another candidate, but voters are given a "yes" or "no" choice whether to keep the justice in office for another term. If the candidate receives more yes votes than no votes, he or she is successfully retained. If not, the candidate is not retained, and there will be a vacancy in that court upon the expiration of that term. This applies to all judges except magisterial district judges, who are always elected in partisan elections.[5][6]
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, "Learn," accessed May 19, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "How Judges Are Elected," accessed July 22, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Pennsylvania; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Courts, "How Judges Are Elected," accessed July 22, 2015
- ↑ Pennsylvania General Assembly, "Constitution of Pennsylvania, Article V, Section 15," accessed April 30, 2014
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
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