Magisterial District Judge Michael J. Faulkner, Upper Macungie Township, has once again been certified for service as a member of Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System after successful completion recently of continuing legal education course work.

Conducted by the Minor Judiciary Education Board and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts the education program for magisterial district judges is offered in Harrisburg.

The weeklong instructional program is designed to ensure magisterial district Judges remain current in a variety of legal topics and management techniques required to fairly adjudicate cases and effectively supervise a district court office.

Included in this year’s curriculum are updates on the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code update, landlord/tenant law update, collection cases: Primer on Proofs, ethics, debt collection, collectors, LGBTQ plus Cultural Humility, verbal judo, criminal law update, MDJS Update, mental health update, social media and IT security, court continuity operational plans, search warrants and evidence, expert testimony, practical issues at preliminary hearings, wellness and the legal profession and bail.

Continuing education course work is required by statute of each of the more than 500 Pennsylvania magisterial district judges, with approximately 50 magisterial district judges, who represent the grass-roots level of Pennsylvania’s judicial system, attend one of 13 such classes during each academic year.

In counties other than Philadelphia, magisterial district judges have jurisdiction over summary, criminal and motor vehicle cases; landlord/tenant matters; and other civil actions where the amount claimed does not exceed $12,000.

Magisterial district judges may also accept guilty pleas in misdemeanor cases of the third degree under certain circumstances.

And, they also have jurisdiction to issue arrest and search warrants and to hold arraignments and preliminary hearings in criminal cases.

Established by Constitution, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts provides support to the Supreme Court in exercising its supervisory duties over each of the other state courts.

The Minor Judiciary Education Board was established by legislative act to administer the continuing legal education program for magisterial district judges, Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division Hearing Officers and Philadelphia Arraignment Court Magistrates (formerly bail commissioners), as well as certifying courses for magisterial district judges, Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division Hearing Officers, Arraignment Court Magistrates and other initial jurisdiction court judges.