Rule Text
The President Judge shall be responsible for ensuring that the judicial district is in compliance with the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, other rules, and statutes, applicable to the minor judiciary, courts, clerks of courts, and court administrators.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 116 adopted March 3, 2004, effective July 1, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 1547.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
The President Judge is the top judge in a local court district. Part of this job is making sure everyone in the district follows Pennsylvania's criminal court rules. This includes not just other judges, but also court clerks and court administrators.
If you are involved in a criminal case, this rule means there is one judge at the top who is responsible for keeping the whole system running by the book. If court staff or lower courts are not following the rules, the President Judge is the one who is supposed to fix that.
Committee Notes
By this rule, the Supreme Court is imposing on the president judges the responsibility of supervising their respective judicial districts to ensure compliance with the statewide Rules of Criminal Procedure, other rules, and statutes.
See 42 Pa.C.S. § § 2756 and 2757 concerning the duties of the clerks of courts.
Adopted March 3, 2004, effective July 1, 2004.
Final Report explaining new Rule 116 published with the Court’s Order at 34 Pa.B. 1561 (March 20, 2004).