Magisterial District Judges Jacob Hammond, South and North Whitehall townships, and Michael Faulkner, Upper Macungie Township, were again certified for service as members of the Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System after successful completion recently of continuing legal education course work.

Conducted by the Minor Judiciary Education Board and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, the educational program for magisterial district judges is offered in Harrisburg.

The week-long instructional program is designed to ensure magisterial district judges remain current in a variety of legal topics and management techniques required to fairly adjudicate cases and effectively supervise a district court office.

Included in this year's curriculum were updates on the Vehicle Code, Civil Law Update, Landlord and Tenant Update, Universal BOCA Code, Active Shooter Awareness, Ethics, Mental Health Law, Constables and the Fee Bill, Mental Health Behavioral Clinical Assessments, Bail and PFA, Drugs and Electronic Wiretap, Criminal Law, Language Access in Pennsylvania Courts, Veterans Programming, AOPC, Drug Recognition Testimony, Truancy and SORNA, MDJS, Stress Management and Ethics and Phishing, Vishing and other viral threats.

Continuing education course work is required by statute for the more than 500 Pennsylvania magisterial district judges, who represent the "grass roots" level of the state's judicial system.

In counties other than Philadelphia, magisterial district judges have jurisdiction over summary, criminal and motor vehicle cases; landlord and tenant matters; and other civil actions where the amount claimed does not exceed $12,000.

Magisterial district judges may also accept guilty pleas in misdemeanor cases of the third degree under certain circumstances and also have jurisdiction to issue arrest and search warrants, to hold arraignments and preliminary hearings in criminal cases.