Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 12, March 23, 2024
(a)
Policy Statement. It is the policy of the unified judicial
system that any matter at any stage of a proceeding be brought to a fair
conclusion as promptly as possible, consistent with the character of the matter
and the resources of the system. The requirements of this rule further specify
and implement this policy in keeping with the Court's constitutionally mandated
responsibility to oversee the prompt and proper disposition of the business of
the Pennsylvania courts.
(b)
General Rule.
(1) Every
judge shall keep a record of each matter that has been submitted to the judge
for decision and which remains undecided.
(2) Every judge shall compile a semi-annual
report stating whether the judge has any matter that has been submitted to the
judge for decision and remains undecided for ninety days or more as of the last
day of the reporting period. Each report shall include matters listed on prior
reports which remain undecided.
(i)
Decision includes the grant or denial of a pretrial,
post-trial, or post-sentence motion or petition, non-jury verdict or decision,
entry of an order or judgment, imposition of a sentence, or the filing of an
opinion. A matter is submitted for decision even though briefs, transcripts, or
reports have been ordered but have not yet been filed.
(ii)
Judge means a judge of
a court of common pleas or a judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court, active
or senior, commissioned six months or longer.
(3) If there are no matters submitted to the
judge which remain undecided for ninety days or more, the report shall so
state.
(c)
Form
and Content of Report.
(1) The report
shall be prepared on a form supplied by the Administrative Office or generated
by the computer system of the judge's court in the same format as the form
supplied by the Administrative Office.
(2) The report shall be signed by the
judge.
(3) For each matter which
remains undecided ninety days or more, the report shall state:
(i) the type, caption, and number of the
case;
(ii) the nature of the
matter;
(iii) the date of
submission to the judge;
(iv) the
specific reason(s) for the delay; and
(v) the specific steps taken to remedy the
delay.
(d)
Filing.
(1) The report
covering the preceding period of July 1 through December 31 shall be filed on
or before January 20, and the report covering the preceding period of January 1
through June 30 shall be filed on or before July 20.
(2) Whenever January 20 or July 20 falls on
Saturday or Sunday, or on any day made a legal holiday by the laws of this
Commonwealth or of the United States, the date for filing shall be the next
business day.
(3) The judge shall
file the original report with the Court Administrator , and shall file copies
of the report with the president judge and the district court administrator of
the court on which the judge serves.
(4) Senior judges or active judges serving in
more than one judicial district shall file one consolidated report with the
Administrative Office, and shall file copies of the consolidated report with
the president judge and the district court administrator for each judicial
district in which the judge has matters that have been submitted for
decision.
(e)
Supplemental Statement by President Judge.
(1) A president judge, at the request of the
Court Administrator , shall supplement a judge's report with a separate
statement of any circumstances affecting the matters reported.
(2) Within thirty days of the president
judge's receipt of the request from the Court Administrator , any supplemental
statement shall be filed with the Court Administrator , the judge who filed the
report, and the district court administrator.
(f)
Public Inspection.
Copies of all reports and supplemental statements filed pursuant to
subdivisions (b) and (e) shall be made available by the Court Administrator and
the district court administrator for public inspection and copying.
(g)
Report to Judicial Conduct
Board.
(1) The Court Administrator
shall immediately notify the Judicial Conduct Board if a judge fails to file a
timely report as required by this rule.
(2) The Court Administrator shall, where
appropriate, forward to the Judicial Conduct Board any report which includes
one or more matters which have remained undecided for one year or
more.
