Under 201 Pa. Code Rule 706(d), the authority of each
Administrative Judge who presides over and administers a division of a court,
which division has three or more judges, shall include, but not be limited by,
the following papers:
(1) The
Administrative Judge for each division of a Court of Common Pleas shall be
appointed by the Supreme Court and shall serve as such at the pleasure of the
Court.
(2) The Administrative Judge
shall have administrative supervision over the Judges of the division in the
exercise of their jurisdiction.
(3)
In exercising the administrative supervision prescribed, the Administrative
Judge shall have the following general powers for facilitating the speedy and
proper administration of justice in those divisions.
(i) To assign individual judges (including
visiting judges and available judges from other divisions) to preside in cases,
in designated court rooms and, from time to time to reassign the individual
judges therein. Such assignments shall be for a reasonable period of time and
no judge shall, without his consent, be assigned for any unreasonable or
indefinite term to any specified duty.
(ii) The Administrative Judge shall appoint
and assign all personnel of the division. However, each judge shall have power
of appointment and assignment of a secretary, a tipstaff, and a law clerk,
which comprise the personal staff of the appointing judge.
(iii) The Administrative Judge shall have the
duty and authority to designate and use of all rooms assigned to the division
for judicial uses, excepting chambers of each judge.
(iv) To provide for, establish and maintain
consolidated lists (i.e., motions, jury trial, nonjury trial, equity,
arraignment, etc.), and to provide and establish procedures necessary and
proper to implement these practices.
(v) To formulate, establish and maintain such
procedures as are necessary to promote, encourage and implement waivers of
civil jury trials.
(vi) To require
that sessions of the division shall be of such nature and duration that there
may be maximum dispositions of business consistent with the number of judges
and rooms available and the proper administration of justice in the causes
concerned.
(vii) To report
periodically to the President Judge and the Supreme Court facts and statistics
concerning the dispatch of business under this program and to make such
additional recommendations for changes or improvements in rules and procedures
as may further expedite the proper administration of justice.
(viii) To make rules and regulations and do
any and all things necessary and proper to carry out the purposes and intent of
the general powers granted to the Administrative Judge herein.
(4) The Administrative Judge shall
have power to assign one or more judges to sit variously to screen, pre-try,
conciliate and settle such cases as may be allotted-which assignments shall be
subject to the same limitations as any other assignments made by the
Administrative Judge to the extent provided in these Rules.
Any judge so assigned may appoint, with the approval of the
Administrative Judge, a Special Master or Masters to assist in the performance
of these various functions and shall have power, with the approval of the
Administrative Judge, to issue rules and regulations governing the conduct of
the phases of work herein recited.
(5) (Rescinded).
(6) This directive, which further defines the
previously promulgated Rule of Judicial Administration, is promulgated pursuant
to Article V, Section 10(c) of the Pennsylvania Constitution which empowers
this Court to prescribe lawfully for "the administration of all courts and
supervision of all officers of the Judicial Branch. . . ." and
42 Pa.C.S. §
325(e) defining the powers
of president judges, and authorizing change in those powers by general rule or
order of this Court as governing authority.