General Procedures (Jurisdiction, General Motions, and General Deadlines)

Superior Court

—original jurisdiction over criminal cases; exclusive jurisdiction over felonies and most drug offenses; appeals from Court of Common Pleas

Court of Common Pleas

—jurisdiction over most misdemeanors, all motor vehicle offenses, preliminary hearings for felony cases, and criminal appeals from Justice of the Peace Courts

Justice of the Peace

—entry level court; jurisdiction over some criminal misdemeanor cases and some motor vehicle offenses (no physical injury, death, or felonies)

• Can: (1) issue summons, arrest warrants, and search warrants, (2) conduct initial appearances, (3) conduct bond review hearings, and (4) issue bench or arrest warrants for failure to appear or pay court-ordered fine

Concurrent jurisdiction

—Court of Common Pleas has concurrent jurisdiction with all criminal matters triable in Justice of the Peace Court

Venue and transfer

• Venue—prosecution must generally be held in county where alleged offense occurred

• Transfer—defendant may move to have case transferred to other court if reasonable probability defendant will not receive fair and impartial trial

• Motion to transfer—made at or before arraignment