Westmoreland district court redistricting plan unveiled

Westmoreland officials this week unveiled a redistricting plan for the county’s district court system that shifts boundaries of two areas but retains all 16 courts.

The plan comes more than a year after county court leaders enacted a plan to eliminate one court and shift boundary lines in several districts before last year’s election, during which five district judge seats appeared on the ballot. One incumbent and four newcomers were voted into office in November to serve as district court judges in Derry, South Greensburg and Hempfield, Penn and Unity townships.

“We have a statutory duty to realign every 10 years, and we made an effort prior to the election to ensure candidates don’t waste their money to run for a seat that could be eliminated,” Court Administrator Amy DeMatt said.

Court administrators in 2020 originally proposed the elimination of two district judge seats, one in Mt. Pleasant and another in Penn Township, as both a cost savings and as part of a larger redistricting designed to even caseloads across the county. Both courts earmarked for closing were manned by judges who announced their planned retirements before 2022.

The state’s Supreme Court agreed to shutter the Mt. Pleasant court but rejected the proposal to close the district office in Penn Township after objections were raised by community leaders who decried the plan. Rebecca Calisti Tyburski was elected in November and took office last week as the district judge in Penn Township to replace Judge Helen Kistler, who retired at year’s end.

The Penn Township court for the past several years handled the fewest cases in the county’s district court system. According to the county’s 2020 annual report of court functions, the Penn Township district court heard just 1,372 cases that year. Caseloads in the county’s busiest courts — East Huntingdon, Greensburg, Hempfield and South Greensburg — exceeded 3,600. Meanwhile, case totals in the Monessen, Derry and Ligonier courts were below 2,000 in 2020.

The redistricting plan announced Monday calls for Penn Borough and the Wegley voting district in Hempfield to shift from the Jeannette district court to Penn Township, along with North Irwin, Irwin and one voting precinct in North Huntingdon.

North Belle Vernon and the Lynnwood voting district of Rostraver is slated to move to the district court in Monessen.

“This plan was based on caseload and workload statistics. The plan provides equal access to the courts and somewhat equalizes the workload,” DeMatt said.

The full redistricting plan is posted on the county’s website. Court administrators will accept public comments on the proposal through Feb. 10.