District court system realignment would eliminate two magistrates in Washington County
A plan to realign the district courts system in Washington County over the next few years would eliminate two magistrates when their terms expire.
The new map released by Washington County court officials earlier this month would consolidate some communities into different districts and decrease the number of magistrates from 11 to nine if the plan is approved by the state Supreme Court following an upcoming public comment period.
The proposal would effectively eliminate districts where magistrates Gary Havelka and Joshua Kanalis are currently serving, and cases in their communities would eventually be handled by neighboring magistrates.
President Judge John DiSalle put forward the realignment plan Jan. 11 following multiple meetings last year with a judicial re-establishment committee. Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said the changes are needed to balance caseloads and remake the boundaries that have basically been unchanged since 2002.
“We’re really dealing with a map that hasn’t been adjusted in a generation,” Grimm said. “Demographics, population and case filings have changed quite a bit in the past 20 years, especially over the past 10 years.”
The only meaningful change in 2012 was to move East Washington out of the City of Washington’s district and into one with South Strabane and North Strabane. The new map moves East Washington back in with the city, while moving North Franklin into a district in rural western Washington County currently overseen by newly elected Magistrate John Bruner.
North Strabane would merge into a district with Peters, which would be separated from its current configuration with several neighboring communities. South Strabane would join Canton in a single district with Magistrate Michael Manfredi overseeing it. Bentleyville would move into the Charleroi-based district of Magistrate Eric Porter, while Cecil would move into the district with Chartiers, Houston and Canonsburg under Magistrate James Saieva Jr.
The changes will be staggered over the next several years as individual district judge terms expire. Grimm said the map was devised after researching caseloads, police department consolidations and geographic and demographic statistics.
“There are a bunch of factors involved,” Grimm said.
The magistrates could also submit their own plan, Grimm said, and any changes could be factored into the final proposal.
“But it has to work within the framework given,” he said. “We’ll see if they have any different ideas. When you look at the map, I think (the current proposal) makes sense.”
Havelka’s district in northern Washington County would be consolidated with the McDonald-based district of newly elected Magistrate Lou McQuillan. The Fredericktown area district of Kanalis would be moved into the coverage area of Magistrate Curtis Thompson in southeastern Washington County. Havelka’s term is set to expire at the end of 2023, while the term for Kanalis is set to end in January 2026.
Kanalis said Thursday the district magistrates were invited to meet with DiSalle and Grimm on two occasions earlier this month, but only after the finalized proposal was brought to their attention. He said they were unaware of the changes until seeing the plan recently, but they may offer their own realignment map, although they haven’t begun formulating it yet. Kanalis added they may have a statement on the situation at a later date.
Grimm said no clerical staff workers will be terminated following the consolidation, although they may be transferred to work in a different district court location. Some court offices could also be moved depending on the newly configured districts, although no decisions have been made, Grimm said.
“We would have to have different office locations,” he said. “We haven’t gone through that part of it yet. We want to see the parts of the proposal that are approved before going through that process.”
The full report on the proposed changes can be found on the Washington County Courts website at www.washingtoncourts.us. Anyone from the public who would like to offer feedback on the realignment plan can mail written comments to Kathy Tarr, Deputy Court Administrator for Special Courts at 1 S. Main St., Suite 1003, Washington, PA 15301, or send an email to kathy.tarr@washingtoncourts.us. All comments must be received by Feb. 14.
Grimm said changes or modifications can be made, but court officials have until Feb. 28 to submit their plans to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. The state Supreme Court would then have to approve the plans or modify them before any changes would be implemented.