Pennsylvania Legal Overview: Erie The Erie metropolitan area in Pennsylvania is defined by the Census Bureau as covering Erie County. The county comes under the Sixth Judicial District of Pennsylvania. The Erie County Court of Common Pleas located in the city of Erie is the main trial court with general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases filed in the county. Each city and borough in the county additionally has limited jurisdiction magisterial district judge courts. The main cities and boroughs in the Erie metro area are listed below.
Top Pennsylvania cities for Legal Issues: Erie
1. The City of Erie has six magisterial district judges, one in each ward. Other cities and boroughs in the county have one magisterial district judge court each. These magisterial district judge courts have limited jurisdiction over misdemeanors, traffic offenses, city code violations, preliminary hearings and civil lawsuits not exceeding $12,000. Civil cases which exceed $12,000 are filed with the court of common pleas. Appeals against trial court decisions are heard by the Pennsylvania Superior Court, which is an intermediate appellate court.
Trending Legal Topics: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court may agree to review the case and uphold or overturn the superior court’s ruling. Federal court cases in Erie County will have to be filed with the Erie Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Bankruptcy petitions must likewise be filed with the Erie Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. All appeals against federal court verdicts arising out of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. |