Pennsylvania Court Records

Pennsylvania Court Record Lookup

Pennsylvania PA court records are public documents accessible by anyone by performing Pennsylvania court records search. These records are necessary for executing the court’s orders, whether it’s claiming child support, clearing one’s driving record, or enrolling in a treatment program. Court records include Pennsylvania criminal records, warrants, civil cases, traffic violations and more information.

Municipal courts

Magisterial district courts are the courts of limited jurisdiction found in 66 counties. Pennsylvania has its own municipal court that serves similar purposes. These courts have jurisdiction over small claims issues, municipal code violations, misdemeanors, and landlord-tenant disputes.

A recent year saw almost 216,000 criminal cases in a recent year, including 54,000 drug cases and 43,000 DUI cases.

Trial courts

Pennsylvania’s Courts of Common Pleas are responsible for civil cases over $12,000, family matters, including Pennsylvania child support and custody filings, felonies, juvenile cases, probate, and appeals of decisions by governmental agencies.

Records of these Pennsylvania courthouses can be searched and requested online by conducting Pennsylvania court records lookup. Some information may be kept confidential due to the age of those involved or if victims of certain crimes are named in the documents.

There were nearly 49,000 new cases filed in trial courts statewide in a recent year, when more than 14,000 trials were held.

Appellate courts

There are two intermediate appellate courts in Pennsylvania: the superior court and the commonwealth court. The superior court takes appeals from lower courts. The commonwealth court hears cases involving local and state governments, state agencies, land use, elections, and utilities.

The supreme court is the court of last resort in the state. It oversees the state bar and takes selected appeals from lower courts.

Federal courts

Those who declare bankruptcy, join class action lawsuits, or violate federal laws fall under the jurisdiction of U.S. District courts, of which there is at least one in each state. Anyone can access Pennsylvania court records online via Pennsylvania court case lookup.

Pennsylvania Notable Court Cases

Perhaps the most notable case is that of Commonwealth v. William Henry Cosby, Jr., where a judge in Norristown determined enough evidence existed to make the star stand trial for sexual misconduct. This case involves three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault that allegedly occurred in 2004 in his suburban Philadelphia home. It is alleged the victim was drugged and unconscious when the assault occurred.

Bail for Cosby was set at $1 million; he posted ten percent and was released. The official charges were filed just 12 days prior to the statute of limitations for such accusations running out. This case comes among dozens of accusations of sexual assault from other women over the past several months in various states and fields of entertainment and modeling, and has yet come to conclusion.