The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of Pennsylvania's two intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, with jurisdiction over

administrative Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

and civil

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is the other intermediate appellate court in the

Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania is the unified state court system of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Courts The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the state supreme court and court of last resort."Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,Rydal-M ...

, having jurisdiction over

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

and private civil cases. The jurisdiction of the nine-judge Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas involving public sector legal questions and government regulation. The Commonwealth Court also functions as a

trial court A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

in some civil actions by or against the Commonwealth government and cases regarding statewide elections (42 Pa.C.S. §§ 761–764). Article V, section 4 of the 1968

Pennsylvania Constitution The Constitution of Pennsylvania is the supreme law within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All acts of the General Assembly, the governor, and each governmental agency are subordinate to it. Since 1776, Pennsylvania's Constitution has undergone ...

created the Commonwealth Court. Acts enacted in 1970 set up the court. Judges are elected to 10-year terms, and must retire at the age of 75. The Commonwealth Court publishes its precedential opinions in the ''

Atlantic Reporter The ''Atlantic Reporter'' () is a United States regional case law reporter. It is part of the National Reporter System created by John B. West for West Publishing Company, which is now part of Thomson West. The ''Atlantic Reporter'' contains ...

3d'' series. From 1970 to 1995, the court maintained an official reporter, ''Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Reports'', volumes 1–168 (1970–1995). The Court's precedential and non-precedential ("unreported") opinions are posted online. Appeals from Commonwealth Court decisions go to the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme ...

Judges

Senior judges

* Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter

References

External links

Commonwealth Court of PennsylvaniaOpinions of the Court
{{State Intermediate Appellate Courts 1970 establishments in Pennsylvania Administrative courts Pennsylvania state courts

Courts and tribunals established in 1970

Judges

Senior judges

See also

References

External links