Delaware County 32-2-51 Magisterial District Court
You or your loved one has a court date in a Delaware County Magisterial District Court. You’re probably feeling anxious about the entire situation. Plus, you’re confused about what to expect. If you get charged with a traffic or criminal offense, you need to have an experienced attorney at your side, to answer your questions and provide professional guidance.
The Law Offices of Amato Sanita has represented clients in Pennsylvania’s Magisterial Courts hundreds of times. We provide our clients with caring counsel and a firm defense.
If you’ve been notified to appear in Delaware County Magisterial District Court 32-2-51 in Upper Darby, you will appear before Magisterial District Judge, Christopher R. Mattox. The summons may be for a traffic citation, preliminary arraignment, preliminary hearing, bench warrant, or non-jury trial in the court.
You will find Magisterial District Court 32-2-51 in Upper Darby. The election districts covered within this Magisterial District Court are Upper Darby Township’s Voting Districts 5-2, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6, 5-9, 6-5, 6-6, 6-7, 6-8, 6-9, 6-11, 7-1, 7-7, 7-9, 7-11, and 7-12.
Magisterial District Courts are minor courts in the Pennsylvania court system. They are responsible for deciding all traffic and non-traffic citations. The Magisterial District Courts in Delaware County preside handle preliminary arraignments and preliminary hearings for criminal charges. The court also decides all landlord/tenant disputes as well as civil cases with damage claims up to $12,000.
Magisterial District Courts in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County has 33 Magisterial District Courts in its borders. Criminal charges are first brought in these courts. Then, they are sent to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
Misdemeanor and felony cases require preliminary arraignments and preliminary hearings. The Magisterial District Courts hear these preliminary proceedings before sending the cases up to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
Delaware County Magisterial District Courts are authorized to decide all summary offenses. A summary offense is Pennsylvania’s least serious offense level. Common summary offenses include driving with a suspended license, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment, underage drinking, and first offense shoplifting for things under $150.
Magisterial judges preside over Pennsylvania’s Magisterial District Courts. They can administer oaths and perform marriages, as well as decide cases in their jurisdiction.
When you get summoned for a traffic or criminal offense, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney at your side. Depending on the details of the charges, a skilled lawyer can use many defenses to help you.
Summary offenses can create big headaches for you or your family member. If the court finds you guility of a summary offense, you go to jail for up to 90 days and pay a fine up to $300. If you have a prior conviction, your punishment could go up to 180 days in jail.
Why You Need An Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney At Your Side In an Upper Darby Courtroom
Your first thought may be to plead guilty to a summary offense. That way, you can put the whole situation behind you. Another thought might be to handle your court case yourself. However, you should retain an attorney before anything else, because the outcome of the case will impact your future.
You could land in jail. That will disrupt your life and could cost you your job. It will also leave you with a criminal record that will have far-reaching consequences for you.
Get an experienced criminal defense attorney to take your case. Your attorney will defend you against the charges. An attorney who knows their way around a Pennsylvania Magisterial District Court will offer sound advice and may be able to get the charges against you lessened or even dismissed.
Let’s say you’re charged with an offense such as harassment. Your attorney will look for evidence that a person with a grudge has concocted a story or that someone has made a mistake. This allows the attorney to build a strong defense for you.
Call The Law Offices of Amato Sanita today.