Right-To-Know Request Open Records Information pertaining to the Judiciary 39th Judicial District, Franklin & Fulton Counties

Mark Singer
Open Records Officer for 39th Judicial District
Court Administrator’s Office
14 N. Main St.
Chambersburg, PA 17201
 
For Open Records information for Franklin County Government, please click here. For Open Records information for the Coroner's Office, please click here.

About

The Right To Know Law, which references the judiciary in Section 304, addresses only the providing of financial records in accordance with the Law or any rule or order of court.
 
Pursuant to Supreme Court Order, requests for financial records of the Unified Judicial System are governed by Rules of Judicial Administration (Pa.R.J.A. 509).  

Rule 509 of Judicial Administration addresses the General Policy, Accessibility, Procedure for Requesting Access, Fees, and Publication of Financial Record Information.  This Rule outlines that the judiciary only provides the financial aspect of the request.
 
For request involving Case Records – Under the Unified Judicial System’s Electronic Case Record Public Access Policy, you may submit your request for the criminal common pleas/magisterial district court data and civil magisterial district court data to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.  The pertinent request form and applicable fee information can be found on the Judiciary’s website by clicking here. 

Documents

Open Records Request Form

Open Records Policy

The law requires the open records officer to do the following

An Agency has five business days to respond in writing and: 1) grant the request; 2) deny the request (citing the legal basis for denial/partial denial); or 3) invoke a 30-day extension for certain reasons. The clock starts the day after the request is received during regular business hours.

How to request information?

You can make a request four ways:  mail, fax, e-mail or in person. The request must be sufficiently “specific” to allow the public body to identify what you are seeking.

Is there a form to obtain records?

Yes, a standard Open Records request form is available on this webpage. The form from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records will also be accepted.

Are there fees associated with open records?

Reasonable costs incurred in providing public access to records may be charged Pa.R.J.A.509(D)(1).

Fee Schedule:

Copies

A "photocopy" is either a single-sided copy or one side of a double-sided black and white copy of a standard 8.5" x 11" page: $0.25 per page 

Postage Fees

Fees for postage may not exceed the actual cost of mailing. Fees for records in other forms will follow the County Fee Schedule.

Prepayment

Pursuant to Pa.R.J.A. 509(C)(4)(i), the requested information will become available upon payment of any applicable fees and costs. Prior to granting a request for access in accordance with Rule 509(D)(2), the records may require a requester to prepay an estimate of the fees associated with the request, if the fees are expected to exceed $100.

Appeal

If you wish to contest the decision of the Open Records Officer, you may appeal in writing within 15 business days of the date of Response to the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of the 39th Judicial District pursuant to Pa.R.J.A. 509(c)(5).