Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes

42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301 (2026)

Unified judicial system.

✓ current as of May 2026 Cite as: 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301 (2026)

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PART II

ORGANIZATION

Subpart

A. Courts and Magisterial District Judges

B. Other Structural Provisions

Enactment. Part II was added July 9, 1976, P.L.586, No.142, effective 60 days from the date of final enactment of the act of April 28, 1978, P.L.202, No.53.

SUBPART A

COURTS AND MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGES

Article

A. Preliminary Provisions

B. Appellate Courts

C. Courts of Common Pleas

D. Minor Courts

E. Magisterial District Judges

F. Court of Judicial Discipline

Subpart Heading. The heading of Subpart A was amended August 11, 2009, P.L.147, No.33, effective in 60 days.

ARTICLE A

PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

Chapter

3. General Structure and Powers

CHAPTER 3

GENERAL STRUCTURE AND POWERS

Subchapter

A. Unified Judicial System

B. General Provisions Relating to Courts

Enactment. Chapter 3 was added July 9, 1976, P.L.586, No.142, effective 60 days from the date of final enactment of the act of April 28, 1978, P.L.202, No.53.

SUBCHAPTER A

UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Sec.

301. Unified judicial system.

§ 301. Unified judicial system.

The judicial power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a unified judicial system consisting of the:

(1) Supreme Court.

(2) Superior Court.

(3) Commonwealth Court.

(4) Courts of common pleas.

(5) Community courts.

(6) Philadelphia Municipal Court.

(7) Pittsburgh Magistrates Court.

(8) Traffic Court of Philadelphia.

(9) Magisterial district judges.

All courts and magisterial district judges and their jurisdiction shall be in this unified judicial system.

(Nov. 30, 2004, P.L.1618, No.207, eff. 60 days)

2004 Amendment. See section 29 of Act 207 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to construction of law.

References in Text. The Traffic Court of Philadelphia, referred to in this section, was abolished by Joint Resolution No.2 of 2016.

Cross References. Section 301 is referred to in section 102 of this title; section 3717 of Title 22 (Detectives and Private Police).

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 48 cases (24 in the last 5 years), 1982–2026 · leading case: Haybarger v. Lawrence County Adult Probation & Parole

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Haybarger v. Lawrence County Adult Probation & Parole (2008) ca3 “§ 102 (2008); 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301 (2008). Pennsylvania’s judicial districts, including their probation and parole departments, are ordinarily entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity as arms of the State.”

Graves v. Lowery (1997) ca3 “The issue for resolution here arises from the continued uncertainty surrounding the structure of Pennsylvania’s judicial system.”

S. Parks Miller, DA v. County of Centre (2016) pacommwct “Y, § 1; see Section 301 of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 301 (the UJS consists of “all courts and magisterial district judges and their jurisdiction.”

G. Thomas v. P. Grimm (2017) pacommwct “V, § 10(a), (c) ("Supreme Court shall exercise general supervisory and administrative authority over all the courts” and "shall have the power to prescribe general rules governing practice, procedure and the conduct of all courts .”

Commonwealth v. Baker (1984) pacommwct · cites it 2× “The components of the unified judicial system are set forth in Section 301 of the Code, 42 Pa. C. S. §301. Tribunals are not included therein.”

A.J. Russo v. Allegheny County, and the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, PA, Criminal Division (2015) pacommwct “; 42 Pa.C.S. § 301(4) (“The judicial power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a unified judicial system consisting of the .”

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co LLC v. Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (2024) ca3 “§ 7514(a), it is not included as one of the nine courts comprising Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System, see 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301 . Moreover, the Commonwealth Court concluded that, for purposes of Pennsylvania law, “[p]roceedings before the EHB, an administrative agency…”

Commonwealth v. Vartan (1996) pacommwct · cites it 3× “Section 301 of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 301, defines the "unified judicial system” as the: (1) Supreme Court.”

Harper v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole (1987) pacommwct “See also Sections 301 and 321 of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa. C. S. §§301 and 321. Accordingly, the Board was not precluded by the Pennsylvania Supreme.”

Clairton Slag, Inc. v. Department of General Services (2010) pacommwct “” 42 Pa.C.S. § 301. The unified judicial system is composed of the Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, Courts of common pleas, Community courts, Philadelphia Municipal Court, Pittsburgh Magistrates Court, Traffic Court of Philadelphia, and Magisterial district…”

In Re Miller (2002) cjdpa · cites it 2× “District justices are part of the Unified Judicial System of this Commonwealth, 42 Pa.C.S. § 301. [12] As a matter of fact, this notion was reiterated in an article published in the Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, where the author stated: ["district justices] are the…”

Commonwealth v. Velez (1984) pa · cites it 2× “5, § 1; 42 Pa.C.S. § 301. "It is the policy of the unified judicial system to bring each pending matter to a final conclusion as promptly as possible consistent with the character of the matter and the resources of the system.”

Show all 48 citing cases →

— 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301(4) — 8 cases

M. Renner v. The Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County (2018) pacommwct

SCHEER v. FISH (2022) pawd

NOBLE v. THE COUNTY OF ERIE (2024) pawd

— 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 301(9) — 2 cases

Allen v. Wells (2023) pamd

SHEARS v. CLEM-JOHNSTON (2021) pawd

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