District Court is where most citizens experience the judicial system for the first time. District Justices also set bail and conduct preliminary hearings in misdemeanor and felony criminal cases to determine what cases should be dismissed or transferred to the Court of Common Pleas. District justices are elected to six-year terms and are employees of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Courts of Common Pleas The Courts of Common Pleas are Pennsylvania's courts of general trial jurisdiction, and have original jurisdiction in many civil and criminal proceedings. There are 60 judicial districts in Pennsylvania each of which follow the geographic boundaries of counties.
Judicial districts have from one to ninety-five judges.
Union County and Snyder County comprise the 17th judicial district , which is allotted two full time judges. The Commonwealth Court was created by amendment of the Pennsylvania constitution in 1968 and came into existence in 1970. It was created to ease the caseloads of the Superior and Supreme Courts and to establish a court of original jurisdiction for cases brought against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Court is currently composed of nine justices elected to ten-year terms. The Commonwealth Court is an appellate court with specialized jurisdiction.