Superior Court to Hold Special Session in Lycoming County
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania will hold a special session in Williamsport, Lycoming County, on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7 and 8, 2019. Court sessions will be held on both days, commencing at 9:30 a.m., at the Lycoming County Courthouse.
The Superior Court normally hears arguments on appeals in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, but occasionally visits other locations around the Commonwealth for special sessions like this one, the purpose of which is to better acquaint Pennsylvanians with the process by which appeals before our state courts are considered and resolved.
The Superior Court was created in 1895 to assist the state Supreme Court in disposing of a burgeoning number of appeals in the growing Commonwealth. As such, the Superior Court exercises general jurisdiction, statewide, over all appeals from decisions of the state trial courts with the exception of death penalty appeals (heard by the Supreme Court) and cases brought against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its political subdivisions such as school districts and municipalities (heard by the Commonwealth Court).
The Superior Court is among the busiest appellate courts in the nation, docketing over 13,000 entries per year and deciding over 8,000 individual cases involving civil, criminal, domestic relations, and orphans’ court claims. In providing a window on the work of the Court, this special session offers an exceptional opportunity for members of the public in Lycoming and neighboring counties to observe the service of the judiciary to all Pennsylvanians.
Serving on this special session panel will be Judges Mary Jane Bowes, Judith Ference Olson, and Victor P. Stabile. Judges Bowes and Olson maintain chambers in Pittsburgh, while Judge Stabile maintains an office in Harrisburg. More information about individual judges and the Superior Court is available at www.pacourts.us. To observe a Court session on May 7th or 8th, contact Lycoming County District Court Administrator Adrianne Stahl at 570-327-2243.
