Northampton County Court of Common Pleas
Northampton County is Pennsylvania's Third Judicial District. The Northampton County Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the county. Research identifies the court's major case load as criminal prosecutions, civil money-damages litigation, divorce, custody, support, juvenile matters, estate matters, adoptions, property disputes, and equity cases. The court site also describes significant annual case volume and connects the public to court calendars, contact offices, Magisterial District Judges, court forms, treatment courts, law library resources, and general courthouse information.
Pennsylvania's broader hierarchy places the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at the top, with the Superior Court and Commonwealth Court as statewide appellate courts. Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts. Minor courts include Magisterial District Courts outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In Northampton County, those MDJ courts are the first public-facing court for many records, including traffic citations, summary criminal matters, preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, emergency PFA applications, bail, search and arrest warrants, and smaller civil claims.
Court of Common Pleas / Government Center
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
Main court phone: 610-829-6500
County business hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., excluding holiday variations.
Court Administration
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
610-829-6700
Fax: 610-559-6702
Northampton County Court Jurisdiction
The Court of Common Pleas is the county trial court for high-stakes and full-scale litigation. Common Pleas handles criminal prosecutions from homicide through misdemeanors, civil money-damages actions, family matters, juvenile cases, estates, adoptions, property disputes, and equity issues. Civil filings move through the Northampton County Prothonotary, while criminal filings move through the Criminal Division / Clerk of Courts. Probate-related estate, guardianship, adoption, marriage, and Orphans' Court matters are handled through the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court office.
The court's lower tier is just as important for record lookup. The MDJ FAQ says civil cases less than $12,000 may be filed in Magisterial District Court when venue is proper, usually where the cause of action arose or the transaction occurred. MDJs also issue warrants, set bail, conduct preliminary criminal hearings, decide summary offenses, and handle many traffic and non-traffic cases. A Common Pleas search can miss an early-stage or lower-court matter if the case has not moved up or been appealed.
| Court Level | Main Role | Record Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas | General trial court for major civil, criminal, family, juvenile, estate, adoption, property, and equity matters. | Complaints, petitions, criminal informations, motions, orders, judgments, dispositions, sentences, custody orders, divorce decrees. |
| Magisterial District Courts | Lower courts for preliminary criminal steps, summary and traffic cases, warrants, bail, emergency PFA applications, and limited civil claims. | Traffic dockets, summary criminal dockets, preliminary hearing records, bail entries, small civil judgments, MDJ appeals. |
| Federal courts | Separate federal jurisdiction for federal crimes, federal civil cases, bankruptcy, and federal appeals. | Federal docket sheets, federal filings, bankruptcy petitions, federal appellate records. |
The Northampton County Magisterial District Judges page is the local entry point for lower-court court records and payment notes.
That lower-court listing matters because many Northampton County Court of Common Pleas criminal and traffic records start with an MDJ docket.
Northampton County Court Case Flow
Case flow depends on the type of matter. A felony or misdemeanor case may begin with arrest, complaint, preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing before moving to Common Pleas for formal charges, arraignment, pretrial motions, plea, trial, disposition, sentencing, and appeal. A civil money claim may begin directly in Common Pleas, or it may start in MDJ court if the amount and venue fit lower-court rules. Family, divorce, custody, juvenile, adoption, and estate matters have their own filing routes and public access limits.
Criminal flow: Magisterial District Court complaint and preliminary hearing › Court of Common Pleas criminal docket › plea or trial › disposition and sentencing › Superior Court appeal when available › discretionary Supreme Court review.
Civil flow: Prothonotary filing or MDJ civil filing › answer or hearing › motions and orders › judgment or appeal › appellate review through the Pennsylvania appellate courts when permitted.
Federal flow: Federal District Court or Bankruptcy Court filing › federal docket and orders › appeal to the Third Circuit where allowed.
Northampton County Court Lower Courts
The official listing identifies the Northampton County Magisterial District Courts that handle lower-court work across Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bangor, Wind Gap, Walnutport, and surrounding municipalities. The research notes regular MDJ office hours of 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and says monies are not accepted after 4:00 p.m. Electronic payments are accepted for qualifying Northampton County criminal court cases in Magisterial District Court and Common Pleas through PAePAY.
| District | Magisterial District Judge | Coverage | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03-1-04 | Vivian I. Zumas, Esq. | Bethlehem Ward 14; Hanover Township | 248 Brodhead Rd, Suite 2, Bethlehem, PA 18017 | 610-691-2364 |
| 03-2-01 | Roy A. Manwaring II | Bethlehem area | 402 East Broad Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018 | 610-691-1501 |
| 03-2-03 | Sandra L. McClure | Bethlehem Township area | 3650 Nazareth Pike, Suite 2, Bethlehem, PA 18020 | 610-746-9740 |
| 03-2-04 | Alan R. Mege, Esq. | Freemansburg Borough; Hellertown Borough; Lower Saucon Township | 1404 Walter St, Bethlehem, PA 18015 | 610-865-4010 |
| 03-2-05 | Robert C. Weber | Easton Wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 | 400 Northampton St., Suite 100, Easton, PA 18042 | 610-258-5900 |
| 03-2-06 | Daniel G. Corpora | Easton Wards 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12; Glendon Borough; Williams Township | 700 C Philadelphia Road, Easton, PA 18042 | 610-258-8711 |
| 03-2-08 | John C. Capobianco | Nazareth Borough; East Allen; Lower Nazareth; Upper Nazareth | 136 S Main St, Nazareth, PA 18064 | 610-759-6424 |
| 03-2-09 | Susan Hutnik | Forks Township; Palmer Township; Tatamy Borough | 3 Weller Place, Easton, PA 18045 | 610-258-7266 |
| 03-2-10 | Jordan A. Knisley | Bethlehem area | 327 Broadway, Suite 200, Bethlehem, PA 18015 | 610-868-9191 |
| 03-2-11 | Nicholas E. Englesson | Bethlehem area | 1214 Stefko Blvd., Bethlehem, PA 18017 | 610-694-0553 |
| 03-2-12 | Richard H. Yetter III | Easton Wards 7 and 8; Wilson Borough; West Easton Borough | 1901 Hay Terrace, Easton, PA 18042 | 610-258-4640 |
| 03-3-01 | Robert A. Hawke | Allen Township; Lehigh Township; Moore Township Klecknersville and Beersville; Northampton Borough; North Catasauqua Borough; Walnutport Borough | 4330 Lehigh Dr, Suite 2, Walnutport, PA 18088 | 610-767-6345 |
| 03-3-02 | Robert M. Kemmerer | Bath, Chapman, Stockertown, Wind Gap, Bushkill Township, parts of Moore and Plainfield | 31 W. First Street, Suite 1, Wind Gap, PA 18091 | 610-863-5447 |
| 03-3-03 | Alicia R. Zito, Esq. | Bangor, East Bangor, Pen Argyl, Portland, Roseto, Lower and Upper Mount Bethel, Washington Township, parts of Plainfield | 269 Blue Valley Rd., Bangor, PA 18013 | 610-588-3998 |
The Northampton County MDJ FAQ explains lower-court venue, civil limits, and the role of MDJs in the Third Judicial District.
The FAQ is useful when deciding whether a civil claim, summary case, warrant issue, or traffic matter belongs at an MDJ office before Common Pleas.
Northampton County Court Records Access
Record access is split by custodian. UJS Case Search is the statewide docket route for public Common Pleas, Magisterial District Court, and appellate docket sheets. CountySuite is the local Prothonotary civil case search. The Criminal Division handles criminal searches in person or by mail for a $10 fee and does not give disposition or sentencing information by phone. PAePAY is a payment and search channel for payable traffic tickets, court costs, fines, restitution, and payment plans, but it is not the complete court file.
For certified copies, contact the office that maintains the record. Civil copies route to the Prothonotary, criminal copies to the Criminal Division / Clerk of Courts, and probate or Orphans' Court copies to the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. County agency records outside the court case file may use the county Right-to-Know process, but court case records are governed by judiciary policy and the relevant record custodian. Juvenile, sealed, expunged, adoption, mental-health, abuse-victim, and confidential-information material may be restricted.
Northampton County Court Specialty Programs
Northampton County official sources identify Treatment Courts, Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans Court resources. The District Attorney's resources list Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, and Recovery Court. The court site has treatment-court overview links and application or policy manual links for Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans' Court. These programs are connected to criminal case handling, but eligibility depends on current program criteria and court approval.
UJS reported on July 22, 2025, that Northampton County Treatment Courts celebrated their 10th anniversary and held the first Veterans Court graduation at the Northampton County Courthouse. That official news item shows the programs are active, not just archived links. Specialty court participation may affect court dates, supervision, services, sanctions, incentives, and graduation, but the public record still depends on what the court makes public on the docket and what is restricted by law or order.
Northampton County Court Federal Comparison
Federal courts are separate from Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. Northampton County is in the federal Eastern District of Pennsylvania for U.S. District Court matters. Federal criminal prosecutions, federal civil litigation, constitutional claims, federal-question cases, diversity civil cases meeting federal requirements, and other federal matters are not filed with the Northampton County Prothonotary or Criminal Division. Bankruptcy is also separate and belongs in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
| System | Where It Belongs | Search Route |
|---|---|---|
| Northampton County Court of Common Pleas | State trial court records for county civil, criminal, family, juvenile, estate, and equity matters. | UJS, CountySuite, Prothonotary, Criminal Division, Orphans' Court. |
| Magisterial District Courts | Lower state court records for traffic, summary, preliminary criminal, warrant, bail, and limited civil matters. | UJS MDJ search, issuing MDJ office, PAePAY for eligible payments. |
| U.S. District Court | Federal civil and criminal cases in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. | PACER and the federal court clerk. |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court | Bankruptcy petitions, schedules, creditors, discharge orders, and adversary proceedings. | PACER and the bankruptcy court. |
| Third Circuit Court of Appeals | Appeals from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and other federal trial courts in the circuit. | Federal appellate docket systems and PACER. |
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania handles federal trial matters that are outside Northampton County's state court jurisdiction.
Use the federal court only when the case is federal; a Northampton County Common Pleas case remains in the Pennsylvania state court system.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is the correct court for bankruptcy filings involving Northampton County residents or businesses.
Bankruptcy records can affect civil judgments and collections, but they are not filed in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
Northampton County Court Appeals Path
Appeals in Pennsylvania depend on case type and court level. A summary appeal from a Magisterial District Judge decision is filed with the Clerk of Criminal Court for a Common Pleas hearing. Civil appeals from MDJ judgments may route into Common Pleas through the Prothonotary. Appeals from Common Pleas generally move to the Superior Court or Commonwealth Court depending on subject matter, with discretionary review in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Federal appeals do not use that state path. Appeals from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. PACER is the official electronic public access system for federal docket and document access, with registration and fees handled by the federal judiciary.
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals is the federal appeal court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania cases.
The Third Circuit image belongs to federal appeal context, not the Pennsylvania appellate route from Northampton County Common Pleas.
The PACER service is the official federal case access system for district, bankruptcy, and appellate records.
PACER should be used for federal records, while UJS and Northampton County offices remain the state and local sources.
Northampton County Court History
The official courthouse history centers on growth from the historic 1861 courthouse through modern court operations. As the county population and case volume expanded, two additional wings were built. In 1978, a newly constructed administration building annexed the existing courthouse, and county offices moved into the addition. The official history says the Clerk of Criminal Courts and Clerk of Civil Courts later transferred expanded offices into the new facility, improving judicial and county-government workflow.
The major modern project came in 2004. County Council allocated $43,000,000 for seven new courtrooms, judicial offices, and renovation of areas of the historical courthouse. The stated reasons were practical: population growth, safety and security needs in the older 1861 facility, and the need for a secure environment for modern court operations. The court's present record system reflects that history, with specialized offices for civil, criminal, family, juvenile, probation, domestic relations, law library, and Orphans' Court functions across the Easton court campus.