George Gregory for Forest County Magisterial District Judge

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What are Magisterial District Judges? Here is a brief summation of their duties and responsibilities, along with the required qualifications needed for a candidate to hold the position.

The District Court is the first level of judicial authority in Pennsylvania and is the court where most people experience the judicial system for the first time. District courts are a microcosm of the common pleas court, and cover a specific geographical boundary known as a "magisterial district" and a Magisterial District Judge presides over court.

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Magisterial District Judges handle all traffic cases, minor criminal cases or summary offenses (like Disorderly Conduct, Public Drunkenness, Truancy, Game Law Violations, etc.) and civil cases involving amounts up to $12,000. District Judges also conduct arraignments where they set bail after arrest and accept bail payments. District Judges conduct preliminary hearings in all misdemeanor and felony criminal cases in their jurisdiction to determine if the cases should be dismissed or transferred to the Court of Common Pleas for further proceedings. Magisterial District Judges can also issue search warrants and subpoenas and have limited contempt of court power. There is one Magisterial District Judge based in Forest County, with a main office in Marienville and a satellite office in Tionesta. The judges are elected to six year terms and are employees of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but the salaries of their staff and expenses of the office are paid by the County. Annually thousands of dollars are collected, a portion of which is turned over to the county and the townships.  A special emphasis has been placed on the collection of delinquent fine payments.

Act 207 of 2004, signed into law by Gov. Edward G. Rendell, changed the name to Magisterial District Judge. Prior to this, a District Judge was called "Justice of the Peace" and then "District Justice".

Magisterial District Judges are elected by the citizens of the Magisterial District in which they serve. The term of a District Judge is six years. In order to serve as a District Judge, individuals must possess the following qualifications:
• 21 years of age
• Resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Resident of his/her magisterial district for a one-year period prior to election
•

Certified by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) as successfully completing a rigorous training and education program administered by the Minor Judiciary Education Board or be an attorney admitted to the Bar in Pennsylvania.

Judge George Gregory is the only qualified candidate who has court room experience. The Judge is also the only candidate certified by the Minor Judiciary Education Board (MJEB) of the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) and has continued with 32 hours of update training yearly. In addition, Judge Gregory has hundreds of hours of related training such as firearms instructor, certified ethics instructor and numerous other training courses. (please see resume).

Gregory for Judge
Box 105
Marienville, PA 16239
Paid for by the candidate