State rejects Westmoreland plan to eliminate Penn Township district court

The state Supreme Court has rejected a Westmoreland County plan to shutter a district magistrate office in Penn Township, officials said.

County court leaders this summer pitched a redistricting plan to the state’s high court that called for elimination of two magistrates, one that temporarily closed this spring in Mt. Pleasant after the retirement of District Judge Roger Eckels. The county also proposed a permanent closure in 2022 of the court in Penn Township following the planned retirement of Judge Helen Kistler at the end of next year.

“The county would have saved $800,000, including $400,000 for each office, so this is still a savings,” said Amy DeMatt, the county’s court administrator.

The Supreme Court decision means the Penn Township district court will remain open while the Mt. Pleasant office closes. Following Eckels’ retirement to take a job as chief deputy to Sheriff James Albert, the county used senior judges to cover the caseload. The office temporarily shut down in April and its cases were transferred to courts in East Huntingdon and Unity.

The redistricting plan recommended the county close the two district court offices that averaged the fewest cases each year. County officials said Kistler’s office averaged 2,231 annual cases over the last four years and ranked last among the 17 municipal courts. Eckels’ Mt. Pleasant-based court ranked 16th with a four-year annual average of 2,256 cases.

The average four-year case totals for all of the county courts was more than 4,000, according to court officials.

Common Pleas President Judge Rita Hathaway said a local committee worked throughout this spring and recommended the redistricting plan that was designed to consolidate district courts while also ensuring no sitting judge would be removed from office.

Kistler announced last year she would retire after completing her third six-year term at the end of 2021. She objected to the closing. This summer, she said in an interview that she would have kept her decision to retire private had she known that information was to be considered by the county in the redistricting and consolidation plan.

The Penn Township court is located in Harrison City and leased to the county by a private owner. It serves Penn Township, Penn Borough, Manor and Trafford. The redistricting called for staff from both offices to be reassigned to other district courts. Officials said as part of the redistricting plan that to keep the Penn Township court open the county need a new building to address space, security and parking concerns.