Northampton County Court of Common Pleas

The Trial Court of General Jurisdiction

Pennsylvania's trial court of general jurisdiction is the Court of Common Pleas. In Northampton County, it handles the widest range of cases. Criminal prosecutions run from summary appeals to homicides. Civil matters cover money-damage suits, mortgage foreclosure, and personal injury. Family cases include divorce, custody, and support. The court also hears juvenile matters, estate and adoption cases, and property and equity disputes. It is the court most people mean when they say the Northampton County court.

The court publishes its decisions and calendars online. Local opinions are posted for the public to read.

The Northampton County local opinions page posts Common Pleas opinions issued by the court.

Northampton County's Third Judicial District

Northampton County is the Third Judicial District. The district includes the Court of Common Pleas and fifteen magisterial district courts. The Common Pleas courtrooms and judicial offices sit in the Government Center at 669 Washington Street in Easton. The Pennsylvania Constitution establishes Common Pleas as the trial court of general jurisdiction, and the county court describes its reach as everything from family matters to major criminal cases.

The district covers a wide footprint. Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bangor, Wind Gap, Walnutport, and the surrounding boroughs and townships all fall within it. That spread is why the county runs so many local courts beneath the central courthouse.

Common Pleas vs Magisterial District Court

The two trial levels do different jobs. The Court of Common Pleas is the higher trial court with broad power. The magisterial district court is the local minor court with limited power. The table below shows how they compare in Northampton County.

How a Case Moves Through the System

Most cases follow a path. A criminal case often begins at a magisterial district court with a preliminary hearing, then moves to the Court of Common Pleas if it is held for court. Civil claims may start in a district court or directly in Common Pleas, depending on the amount and type. Appeals climb from the trial level to the intermediate courts and, rarely, to the top.

Case flow: Magisterial District Court › Court of Common Pleas › Superior Court / Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Criminal and most civil and family appeals go to the Superior Court. Government and agency matters go to the Commonwealth Court. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania takes discretionary review at the top.

Magisterial District Courts in Northampton County

The county's fifteen magisterial district courts are spread across its cities, boroughs, and townships. Each has a district number, a judge, and a defined coverage area. To file or appear, you use the court with proper venue, usually where the incident happened or where the defendant can be served. The table lists the districts on record with their judges and offices.

To match an address to its court, the official MDJ listing gives full addresses, phones, and fax numbers for each district.

District Court Jurisdiction and Hours

Magisterial district judges carry a heavy load. They conduct preliminary hearings, decide summary criminal cases, hear emergency protection-from-abuse requests, issue search and arrest warrants, set bail, and rule on small civil claims. Civil claims under $12,000 are filed in the district with proper venue. In 2011, the county's district courts handled 65,636 cases, with traffic matters the largest share.

District court offices keep regular hours. They are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and money is not accepted after 4:00 p.m. The courts close for the standard state holidays.

Note: Pick the magisterial district by where the cause of action arose, where the transaction occurred, or where the defendant can be served, as venue rules require.

Specialty Courts and Programs

The Court of Common Pleas runs several problem-solving courts. Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans' Court each pair supervision with treatment for eligible participants. The District Attorney also offers a DUI ARD program, a pre-trial diversion path for many first-time DUI offenders. These programs are not a promise of dismissal, and each has its own application and review.

The Northampton County treatment courts page links applications and policy manuals for all three courts.

The DUI ARD program shows how diversion works in practice. Eligibility screening starts with the District Attorney, and Adult Probation and a Common Pleas judge also review the case. Applicants must waive the preliminary hearing, and applications are due by formal arraignment. If the DA denies the request, the applicant may petition the Court of Common Pleas for review. A completed ARD path can avoid a conviction for an eligible first-time offender, but it carries conditions and supervision, not an automatic dismissal.

Records and Filing Offices for the Court

The Court of Common Pleas does not keep all its records in one place. Pennsylvania splits the work among three offices in the Government Center. The Prothonotary, the civil filing office, keeps divorce, custody, judgments, liens, and mortgage foreclosure files. The Criminal Division acts as the Clerk of Courts and keeps Common Pleas criminal records. The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court keeps decedent estates, guardianships, and marriage records.

This split decides where you go for a copy. Civil and family copies come from the Prothonotary. Criminal copies and the $10 county record search come from the Clerk of Courts. Estate and marriage copies come from the Register of Wills. Viewing a docket online is free, but certified and paper copies always route to the office that holds the file. The court also publishes calendars and lists, including arraignment, trial, civil, and custody lists, that work alongside a docket search.

Federal Courts Covering Northampton County

Federal cases from Northampton County are not heard at the county courthouse. The county sits in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Federal crimes, civil-rights suits, constitutional claims, and diversity cases go to the federal trial court, and bankruptcies go to a separate federal court. Appeals climb to the Third Circuit.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handles federal trial cases from the county.

Bankruptcy filings run through a different federal court, separate from the county civil system.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania hears federal bankruptcy matters.

Appeals from the federal trial courts go up to the circuit court of appeals.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reviews federal appeals for the region.

Federal Case Access Tools

Federal court records use their own electronic system, not the state portal. PACER is the official federal case-access service. You register, search by court or party, and pay fees unless a waiver or free threshold applies. A free research tool also mirrors many federal dockets and opinions.

Through PACER, you can register and search federal district and bankruptcy cases.

For free dockets and opinions, a public research site collects much of the same material.

The CourtListener site offers free docket and opinion research for federal cases.

Related Northampton County Resources

For case searches, see court records and court dockets. For filing offices, see the Prothonotary for civil cases and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases. For estate and marriage matters, the Orphans' Court page covers the Register of Wills.