District Court Updates, A Year in Review
March 12, 2010
Contributed by, Charles W. Baum District Judge, 07-2-03
Over 3,600 cases funneled through Pennridge’s District Court 07-2-03 in 2009, and over $430,000 in fines and fees were collected district-wide. Approximately $4,500 in fines and fees are collected by East Rockhill Township annually.
Public trust and confidence begins with a fair and impartial judiciary. “Every day, I and the other 550 commonwealth district judges work to fairly provide resolution to disputes, to protect peoples’ constitutional rights, and to uphold the law,” says District Court Judge Charles Baum.
District Judge, 07-2-03, Charles W. Baum summarizes court, cases, and responsibilities of the Pennrdige area’s District Court:
Caseload Breakdown |
||
2009 |
2008 |
|
| Criminal Cases | 337 | 404 |
| Traffic Violations | 2233 | 3253 |
| Non-Traffic Violations | 426 | 621 |
| Civil Cases | 404 | 428 |
| Miscellaneous | 201 | 186 |
District Court 07-2-03 covers the following townships and boroughs:
- Perkasie Borough
- Sellersville Borough
- East Rockhill Township
- West Rockhill Township
- Telford Borough (Bucks County side)
Citations and criminal complaints are received from 4 police departments:
- Perkasie Borough Police
- Pennridge Regional Police
- Telford Borough Police
- Pennsylvania State Police Dublin Barracks
District judges handle cases in 5 basic areas:
- Criminal
- Traffic
- Non-traffic (Disorderly conduct, municipal ordinance violations, state game citations, and more)
- Civil cases (Under $8,000)
- Miscellaneous matters
Criminal Cases
Criminal cases within jurisdiction always start in the Pennridge area’s District Court. The judge’s role within the District Court is to arraign defendants after their arrest, advise defendants of their rights, set a hearing date, set bail, and make the decision if a defendant goes to jail until the hearing date.
“For many East Rockhill residents, this grass roots level of the commonwealth’s court system is often the only court that residents ever encounter,” says Judge Baum.
Additional roles executed by the District Court Judge
- Set a preliminary hearing
- Hear defendant testimony and weigh evidence to determine if charges should be dismissed or bound over for trial in the county court
- Issue criminal warrants
- Approve all search warrants before they are carried out by police
Traffic Cases
Traffic cases are summary motor vehicle offenses initiated by a law enforcement officer.
District courts collect the fines and judges hold hearings for those cases in which not-guilty pleas are entered. Non-traffic cases are also summary offenses and include municipal code violations and school truancies.
Small Claims Cases
Additionally, the District Court serves as the people’s small claims court. Civil suits seeking a monetary judgment of less than $8,000 can be filed in the district court. Civil cases can also include landlord and tenant disputes over rent, damages, or evictions.
Forms to be filled out by plaintiffs are available at the court or online.
Miscellaneous Cases
Couples seeking to be married can apply for their marriage license at the District Court. “I was honored to have performed over 75 marriages in my courtroom last year,” says Judge Baum.
Contact Information
The Pennridge area’s District Court is located on the first floor in the Re-Max building at Seventh and Market streets in downtown Perkasie.
- Phone: 215-257-5181
- Fax: 215-257-5190
- Hours of operation: Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
