Court Opinion

ID: 9747202
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 15:02:40.289293+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:21.203392
License: Public Domain

COLINS, Judge,
concurring and dissenting.
. I concur with the result reached by my learned colleague. However, I must dissent from the majority’s conclusion that the petitioner is a judicial officer. Article V, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution declares that:
The judicial power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a unified judicial system consisting of the Supreme Court, the Superior Court, the Commonwealth Court, courts of common pleas, community courts, municipal and traffic courts in the City of Philadelphia, such other courts as may be provided by law and justices of the peace. All courts and justices of the peace and their jurisdiction shall be in this unified judicial system.
Therefore, while the petitioner is a public employee, and an employee of the judicial branch of government, he is not a judicial officer, as he has no judicial powers. Those who may be considered judicial officers are clearly delineated above. While petitioner is certainly an officer of the court, pursuant to Article V, Section 10(c), he is not a judicial officer.
Further, I would grant fees to petitioner against respondent, pursuant to the Declaratory Judgment Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 7538.