New Public Access Policy for Appellate and Trial Court Case Records

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's new policy that provides uniform standards regarding the public's access to case records for all appellate and trial courts in Pennsylvania goes into effect January 6, 2018. The Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania: Case Records of the Appellate and Trial Courts (47 Pa.B. 291, January 21, 2017) provides guidelines for those who file court documents and those who wish to view them through the court. The policy aims to balance access to information with privacy concerns, while at the same time ensuring that the court's ability to conduct business in an orderly fashion is not impeded.

The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania has created a page for Public Records Policies. It provides access to the new policy effective January 6, 2018, as well as the Electronic Case Record Public Access Policy, the Magisterial District Courts Case Records Policy and the Financial Records Policy (Rule of Judicial Administration 509). Public Records Forms can also be accessed from the Unified Judicial System's site. The page includes both the "Confidential Information Form" and the "Confidential Document Form" referenced in the new policy.