Schuylkill County Court Overview
The Schuylkill County Judicial System identifies the county as Pennsylvania's 21st Judicial District. The Court of Common Pleas is the general jurisdiction trial court for Schuylkill County. It hears civil, criminal, and Orphans' Court matters, with court-related offices such as Adult Probation, Juvenile Probation, Domestic Relations, Law Library, Court Stenographers, and Records Management connected to the local system.
The courthouse contact point is 401 North Second Street, Pottsville, PA 17901. The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System lists the court phone as 570-622-5570 and hours as Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The same courthouse also houses the Prothonotary for civil filings, the Clerk of Courts for criminal filings, the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court, the Sheriff's Office, and Archives.
Because so many record offices share the courthouse, the right counter matters more than the street address. A divorce decree and a felony sentencing order may both come from the Court of Common Pleas, but they are maintained by different clerks. An estate file may be in the same building yet follow the Orphans' Court route. A historical will book may require Archives instead of the active filing office.
Schuylkill County Courthouse
401 North Second Street
Pottsville, PA 17901
570-622-5570
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Schuylkill County Common Pleas Judges
The Court of Common Pleas consists of a President Judge and five additional judges when at full capacity, with Senior Judges receiving monthly assignments for excess workload or judicial vacancies. The county's judge list gives direct chamber phone numbers, which are not a substitute for filing office contacts but help identify the local court structure.
For filing and copy questions, contact the office that maintains the record instead of a judge's chamber. Judges decide cases and hold hearings, while clerks receive filings, maintain dockets, certify copies, and route court orders. Hearing dates and calendar entries may appear in UJS, but recent filings may not post immediately.
| Court role | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| President Judge Jacqueline L. Russell | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1314 |
| Judge James P. Goodman | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1312 |
| Judge Christina E. Hale | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1300 |
| Judge Christopher W. Hobbs | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1311 |
| Judge William L. J. Burke | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1309 |
| Judge A.J. Serina | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1390 |
| Senior Judge D. Michael Stine | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1308 |
| Senior Judge C. Palmer Dolbin | Common Pleas | 401 North Second Street, Pottsville | 570-628-1330 |
Common Pleas vs Magisterial Courts
Pennsylvania does not use a county court and justice court model for Schuylkill County trial records. The local split is between the Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts, with municipal ordinance matters handled locally where applicable. The clerical split is also important because civil Common Pleas records go to the Prothonotary, while criminal Common Pleas records go to the Clerk of Courts.
| Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts | Municipal ordinance matters | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Major civil, family, divorce, custody, judgments, Orphans' Court | Landlord-tenant and smaller civil matters | Local code cases where applicable |
| Criminal role | Misdemeanor and felony trial court records | Preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, summary matters | Local ordinance citations |
| Traffic role | Appeals and criminal DUI-related matters | Traffic and non-traffic citations | Municipal code matters where applicable |
| Record office | Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Orphans' Court office | Specific MDJ office and UJS docket | Local municipal office or court channel |
Schuylkill County Case Flow
Criminal cases often start with arrest or citation activity, then move through Magisterial District Court for preliminary proceedings before reaching Common Pleas if held for court. Civil cases start with filings at the Prothonotary. Estate and guardianship matters use the Orphans' Court filing path through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › MDJ preliminary stage › Common Pleas filing › arraignment › motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition › Prothonotary docketing › response › motions or argument court › hearing or trial › order or judgment › appeal.
Probate flow: Death and estate opening › petition for letters › notices and inventory › account or status report › Orphans' Court order if needed.
The separate federal trial court route appears in the captured source image from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
That federal source is included to show the separate path for federal cases; county filing and copy requests still depend on the correct local clerk office.
Schuylkill County Court Divisions
Common Pleas divisions are practical record routes. Civil filings route to the Prothonotary. Criminal Common Pleas records route to the Clerk of Courts. Probate, estates, guardianships, and many fiduciary matters route through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Domestic Relations, Adult Probation, Juvenile Probation, and other court-related offices may be involved, but they are not a replacement for the official filing office that holds the record.
UJS Case Search covers public docket sheets for Pennsylvania appellate courts, Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, and Philadelphia Municipal Court. The research notes that civil Common Pleas docket and document access is not fully covered by the public UJS portal, so the county Civil Case portal and Prothonotary office remain important for Schuylkill County civil records.
Schuylkill County Judicial District
Pennsylvania's court hierarchy places the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at the top. Superior Court and Commonwealth Court serve as statewide appellate courts. Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts and are organized into judicial districts. Schuylkill County is the 21st Judicial District, so local Common Pleas filings use that district identity.
The 1968 Pennsylvania Constitution reorganized the judiciary into the Unified Judicial System. That history matters in records work because local court dockets, statewide portals, appellate courts, and public access policies operate within one state court framework. Still, the local filing office remains the source for certified Schuylkill County Common Pleas copies.
The UJS learning page explains the statewide court structure, while county pages supply local judges, offices, and courthouse contacts. Appeals from Schuylkill County Common Pleas matters generally move to the Superior Court for many civil and criminal cases or to Commonwealth Court for many government-agency matters, with Supreme Court of Pennsylvania review at the top of the state court system.
State court hierarchy material is represented by the capture from the Third Circuit page only for federal appellate context.
The Third Circuit is federal, so it should not be confused with Pennsylvania's Superior Court or Commonwealth Court.
Schuylkill County Magisterial Courts
Magisterial District Courts handle preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, summary offenses, traffic, non-traffic, landlord-tenant, and smaller civil matters. Their records may appear in UJS public docket sheets, and local questions should be directed to the specific MDJ office that handled the case. Schuylkill County's official list includes seven MDJ offices.
| District | Judge or listing | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21-2-01 | Edward Tarentelli | 619 West Oak Street, Frackville, PA 17931 | 570-874-1704 |
| 21-3-01 | Name not shown | Borough Building, 301 Second Street, Port Carbon, PA 17965 | 570-628-5351 |
| 21-3-03 | Name not shown | 209 North Warren Street, Second Floor, Orwigsburg, PA 17961 | 570-366-0244 |
| 21-3-04 | Christian Lengel | 19 North Pine Street, Tremont, PA 17981 | 570-695-3128 |
| 21-3-05 | Anthony J. Kilker | 33 South Main Street, Shenandoah, PA 17976 | 570-462-2680 |
| 21-3-06 | Stephen J. Bayer | Rear, 320 East Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252 | 570-668-3535 |
| 21-3-07 | James K. Reiley | 410 N Centre, Suite 1, Pottsville, PA 17901 | 570-622-9181 |
The official MDJ list is available from Schuylkill County District Justices.
Schuylkill County Federal Courts
Federal court records are not held by the Schuylkill County Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, or Court of Common Pleas. Schuylkill County is in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Federal civil rights cases, federal criminal prosecutions, diversity civil cases, habeas filings, federal prisoner litigation, and federal bankruptcy matters use federal systems.
Use the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for federal trial court information, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for bankruptcy cases, and PACER for federal docket and document access. Some opinions and docket material may also appear in free sources, but PACER is the official federal records portal.
The bankruptcy court image is sourced from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Bankruptcy cases are federal records, so they are searched outside Schuylkill County courthouse filing offices.
The PACER image comes from the federal PACER portal.
PACER is the main federal docket route for cases that do not belong in county Common Pleas records.
A free alternative source was captured from CourtListener.
CourtListener can be useful for opinions and selected docket material, but it does not replace the official court clerk or PACER.