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Pittsburgh Municipal Court
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| Trial courts and judges |
| Elections by state |
| Judicial selection by state |
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The Pittsburgh Municipal Court resides in Pennsylvania. This court is staffed by judges from the Allegheny County Magisterial District.
Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | Pittsburgh Municipal Court addresses traffic, non-traffic and criminal matters. Magisterial District Judges are assigned to preside over more than 70,000 cases annually in this court. Jurisdiction includes the following matters:
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Judges
Elections
Pennsylvania is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Pennsylvania, click here.
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2025
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2024
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2023
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2022
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2021
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2020
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2019
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Pennsylvania local trial court judicial elections, 2017
- Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015
- Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2013
- Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2011
Selection method
- 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
- See also: Pennsylvania judicial elections
Pennsylvania is one of eight 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
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
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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, "Departments of Pittsburgh Municipal Court," 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
