Case Record Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania

Overview

This document outlines the public access policy for case records within the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. It defines key terms and establishes rules regarding what constitutes a case record, who is considered the public, and how records are maintained.

Key Definitions

The policy provides specific definitions for terms used throughout the document:

• Abuse Victim: A person for whom a protection order has been granted under specific Pennsylvania rules and statutes (Pa. R. C. P. No. 1901, 23 Pa. C. S. § 6101, etc. ).
• Case Records: Includes documents filed with a court (pleadings, motions), dockets, indices, and documents created by the court (orders, opinions, judgments). It explicitly excludes notes, memoranda, correspondence, drafts, worksheets, and work product of judges/court personnel.
• Clerical Errors: Patently evident errors or omissions in a case record resulting from court personnel action or inaction (e. g. , misspelled names, wrong document links).
• Court: Includes the Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, Courts of Common Pleas, Philadelphia Municipal Court (excluding Traffic Division), and Magisterial District Courts.
• Court of Record: Includes the Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, Courts of Common Pleas, and Philadelphia Municipal Court.
• Court Facility: The location where case records are filed or maintained.
• Custodian: Any person responsible for maintaining case records or processing public access requests. This includes clerks of court, prothonotaries, and magisterial district judges.
• Financial Account Numbers: Includes bank account numbers, debit/credit card numbers, and authentication methods like PINs or passwords.
• Financial Source Documents: Includes tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, wage stubs, credit card statements, bank statements, check registers, checks, and loan applications.
• Medical/Psychological Records: Records relating to an individual's physical or mental health. Examples include drug/alcohol treatment records, psychological reports in custody matters, and DNA reports.
• Minor: A person under the age of eighteen.
• Party: One who commences an action or against whom relief is sought. Note: Amici curiae are not considered parties.
• Public: Any person, media member, business, or non-profit entity. It explicitly excludes parties to a case, their attorneys, Unified Judicial System officials/employees acting in official capacities, and government entities.
• Remote Access: The ability to electronically search, inspect, print, or copy case record information without visiting the court facility.
• Docket: A chronological index of filings, actions, and events in a case.

Policy Availability

A copy of this policy must be continuously available for public inspection in every court and custodian’s office. It is also posted on the Unified Judicial System's website.