COMMONWEALTH	OF	PENNSYLVANIA	– UNIFIED	JUDICIAL	SYSTEM

Current	 as	 of	October	31,	 2016

SUPREME	COURT
(Constitution	Art.	V,	§ 2)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 501,	502)

Court	 Administrator
of	Pennsylvania
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 10)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 1901)

Legislative	
Reapportionment	
Commission
(Const.	Art.	II,	§ 17)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 725(1))

Supreme	Court	 Extraordinary
Appellate	 Jurisdiction
(King’s	Bench	Power)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 726)
Power	to	assume	plenary	jurisdiction	at	any	stage	of	
the	proceedings	over	any	 matter	pending	before	a	court	or	
district	justice	involving	an	issue	of	immediate	 public	importance

Commonwealth	 Court	
Original	 and	Other	 Jurisdiction

1.

Type
Jurisdiction	of	actions	against	
Commonwealth	entities	except	eminent	
domain,	non-ancillary	habeas	corpus	and	
post-conviction	relief,	and	tort	claims. 761(a)(1)

42	Pa.C.S.	§

2. Concurrent	jurisdiction	of	actions	by	
Commonwealth	entities	except	by	
eminent	domain.
Insurance	receiverships,	 etc.	

761(a)(2)
3.
761(a)(3)
761(c).
4. Ancillary	 matters.	
5. Commonwealth	employee	arbitration.	 763(b)
6. Certain	statewide	election	matters.	
7. Confidential	data	matters.	

764
8722

Direct	Appeals	 from	Commonwealth	
Administrative	 Agencies
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 763)
Appeals	of	any	order	of	a	Commonwealth	agency
that	is	not	appealable	to	Supreme	Court
under	42	Pa.C.S.	§ 725	or	to	the	Courts	of
Common	Pleas	under	42	Pa.C.S.	§ 933	

Judicial	 Conduct	 Board;	
Court	 of	Judicial	 Discipline
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 18)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 725(2),	1601,	2101)

Minor	 Judiciary	
Education	 Board
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 725(3),	2131)

Pennsylvania	 Board	
of	Law	Examiners
(B.A.R.	104)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 725(4))	

The	Disciplinary	 Board	
of	the	 Supreme	Court	
of	Pennsylvania
(R.D.E.	 205)	
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 725(5))

Appeals	 as	of	 Right
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 723)
Appeals 	in	matters 	 (1)	originally	commenced	
in	Commonwealth	 Court	 except	where	
cons tituted	 appeal	from	lower	 court,	and	(2)	
aris ing	in	the	Board	of	 Finance	and	Revenue

Discretionary	 Allowance
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 724,	9781)
Appeals 	(except	dis cretionary	as pects 	
of	s entence)	to	 Supreme	Court	
upon	allowance	of	any	two	jus tices .

Supreme	Court	 Original	 Jurisdiction

Type

1. Habeas	 corpus.
2. Mandamus	or	prohibition	to	inferior	courts.
3. Quo	warranto as	to	officers	of	statewide	jurisdiction.

42	Pa.C.S.	§
721(1)
721(2)
721(3)

COMMONWEALTH	 COURT
(Constitution	Art.	V,	§ 4)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 561,	562)

Transfer	 of	Cases
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 705)
Same	 or	related	questions
of	fact,	law	or	discretion

SUPERIOR	COURT
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 3)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 541,	542)

Superior	 Court
Original	 Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 741)
Ancillary	 mandamus	or	
prohibition	to	inferior	courts
and	writs	of	habeas	corpus

Appellate	 Jurisdiction

Type		 								 								 				

42	Pa.C.S.	§

Type

Direct	Appeals	 to	Supreme	 Court

42	Pa.C.S.	§

1. Matters	prescribed	by	rule,	i.e.,	 enforcement	

of	certain	subpoenas	(R.A.P.	702)	and	appeals	
in	conservatorship	proceedings	(R.D.E.	329).	

2. Right	to	public	office.
3. Matters	affecting	members	 of	the	judiciary.
4. Automatic	review	of	death	sentences.
Supersession	of	a	district	attorney,	
5.
or	relating	to	investigating	grand	jury.

6. Right	to	issue	public	debt.
7.

Judgment	declaring	unconstitutional	any	law	
except	 a	local	 ordinance	or	resolution.

722(1)
722(2)
722(3)
722(4)

722(5)
722(6)

722(7)
722(8)

762(a)(4),	(a)(7).

8. Right	to	practice	law.

1. Actions	involving	

Commonwealth,	except	habeas	
corpus,	post-conviction.	
2. Violations	of	rules,	regulation	
or	orders	of	or	regulatory	
statutes	administered	by	
Commonwealth	agencies.	

3. Appeals	from	

4.

Commonwealth	agencies.	
Local	 government	
cases.

5. Nonprofit	corporation	

matters.

6. Eminent	domain.	

762(a)(1)

762(a)(2)

762(a)(3)

762(a)(5)
762(a)(6)

COURT	OF	COMMON	 PLEAS
(Constitution	Art.	V,	Section	5)
(42	Pa.C.S.	Ch.	9)

Appellate	 Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 742)
Appeals	in	all	 matters	not	within	exclusive	
jurisdiction	to	the	Supreme	Court	or	the	
Commonwealth	Court	under	Code	§§ 722	or	
762	including	most	noncapital	criminal	cases	
and	civil	 cases	 to	which	the	Commonwealth	is	
not	a	party,	e.g.,	 tort	(except	cases	involving	 a	
political	subdivision),	contract,	
nongovernmental	equity	(except	eminent	
domain	and	nonprofit	corporation),	domestic	
relations,	and	estates	 and	fiduciary.

Original	 Jurisdiction
Unlimited	except	
as	 otherwise	provided	by	law
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 5(b))
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 931)

Commonwealth	 Agency	Appeals
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 933(a)(1))
Birth	record,	certain	Vehicle	Code,	Workers’	
Compensation	determinations,	certain	Liquor	Code,	
inheritance	tax,	 Labor	and	industry	determinations,	
Department	of	Commerce	determinations.

Appellate
Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 932)
All	appeals

Appellate
Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 932)
All	appeals

Appellate	
Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 932)
All	appeals

Appellate	
Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 932)
All	appeals

Appellate	
Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 932)
All	appeals

Appellate	
Jurisdiction
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 933(b))
All	appeals

Commonwealth	
Administrative	
Agencies

Community,	 Problem	
Solving	 &	Housing	 Courts
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 6(a))
(42	Pa.C.S.	§§ 916,	917,	1101)

Magisterial	
District	 Court
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 7)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 1511)

Philadelphia
Municipal	 Court
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 6(c))
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 1121)

Pittsburgh
Municipal	 Court
(Const.	Art.	V,	§ 21)
(42	Pa.C.S.	§ 1141)

Local
Administrative	
Agencies

Award	 of	
Arbitrators	
except	involving	
Commonwealth