FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA 
PHILADELPHIA MUNICIPAL COURT 

President Judge Administrative Order 

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER No. 23 of 2020 

In re:  Philadelphia Municipal Court Judges Sitting as Arraignment Court Magistrates 

AND NOW, this 27th day of March, 2020, in consideration of the public health 

 
emergency created by COVID-19, emergency declarations issued by the Supreme Court of 
Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf and May James F. Kenney, the need for all Philadelphia 
residents to remain at home or at their place of residence to avoid spreading COVID-19, and the 
additional scheduling issues created by there being two Arraignment Court Magistrate positions 
currently open, it is hereby ORDERED that: 

1. 

The President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court may authorize and 

schedule judges of the Philadelphia Municipal Court to sit as Arraignment Court Magistrates and 
to perform all of the duties of an Arraignment Court Magistrate as are set forth in Sections 8.00, 
8.01, 8.02, 9.00 and 9.01 of the rules governing Arraignment Court Magistrates.  Those duties 
include the following:  setting bail at the Preliminary Arraignment; advising defendants of their 
right to counsel and appointing counsel to indigent defendants at the Preliminary Arraignment; 
issuing search, seizure and arrest warrants after a review of probable cause affidavits that have 
been approved by the attorney for the Commonwealth and upon a showing of probable cause; 
and issuing nighttime search and seizure warrants after a review of probable cause affidavits that 
have been approved by the attorney for the Commonwealth, upon a showing of probable cause, 
and a showing of additional reasonable cause. 

2. 

When a judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court is sitting as an Arraignment 

Court Magistrate pursuant to paragraph 1 above, an appeal from that judge’s decision concerning 
bail shall not be to the Philadelphia Municipal Court judge who was specifically designated by 
the President Judge to hear such appeals.  Rather, any such appeal shall be filed as a “Motion for 
Modification of Bail,” captioned “Emergency Motion for Modification of Bail” referencing in 
the Motion that the bail ordered by the Municipal Court judge is being appealed. The Motion 
will be assigned to an appropriate judge of the Court of Common Pleas for disposition as 
provided in AGB Administrative Order No. 22 of 2020, In re: Expedited Criminal Motions. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Y THE COURT:   

  B

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

/s/ Patrick F. Dugan 
 
  
 
HON. PATRICK F. DUGAN,  
President Judge