Minor Courts of PennsylvaniaThe first level of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System and presided over by magisterial district, municipal and traffic court judges. MDJs and traffic court judges do not have to be lawyers, but they are required to pass a qualifying exam. Philadelphia Municipal Court judges do have to be lawyers. In Philadelphia, the minor courts are made up of a Municipal Court and Traffic Court. Each court has its own elected judges. In Allegheny County, the Pittsburgh Municipal Court is staffed by Allegheny County magisterial district judges and the complement is included in the total of 535 MDJs. Responsible for: non-jury criminal and civil cases, traffic cases, whether serious criminal cases go to the Court of Common Pleas, preliminary arraignments and preliminary hearings, setting and accepting bail, except in murder or voluntary manslaughter cases
