Wayne County Trial Court
The Court of Common Pleas is Wayne County's general trial court and part of Pennsylvania's unified judiciary. The county is in the 22nd Judicial District, and the court sits in Honesdale. Local research lists President Judge Janine Edwards and Judge Matthew Meagher, with Nicole A. Hendrix as District Court Administrator. Court Administration supports budgeting and finance, calendar management, community relations, human resources, jury management, public information, and scheduling.
The court hears felony criminal cases, major civil matters, family matters, protection-from-abuse matters, divorce, custody, support-related issues, Orphans' Court matters, and appeals from Magisterial District Courts. A reader looking for docket information may begin with Pennsylvania UJS Case Search, while a reader who needs copies must identify which Wayne County office keeps the file. Civil records route to the Prothonotary, criminal records to the Clerk of Courts, and estate or guardianship records to the Clerk of the Orphans' Court.
Wayne County Court of Common Pleas
925 Court Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
570-253-5970 ext. 2000
Fax: 570-253-2919
County court hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Wayne County Court List
Wayne County does not have many numbered district courts under the common pleas name. Instead, the local court structure uses one Court of Common Pleas for general trial work and three Magisterial District Courts for lower-court traffic, landlord-tenant, small civil, summary, preliminary criminal, bail, and warrant-related work. The table reflects the local court list documented in the research.
| Court / Office | Judge / Contact | Address / Phone | Jurisdiction Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas, 22nd Judicial District | President Judge Janine Edwards; Judge Matthew Meagher | 925 Court Street, Honesdale, PA 18431; 570-253-5970 ext. 2000 | General trial court for criminal, civil, family, Orphans' Court matters, and MDJ appeals. |
| Magisterial District 22-3-01 | Hon. Bonnie L. Carney | 98 Main Avenue, Hawley, PA 18428; 570-226-4981 | Hawley Borough, Dreher, Lake, Lehigh, Palmyra/Paupack, Salem, Sterling; satellite offices in Lehigh and Salem. |
| Magisterial District 22-3-02 | Hon. Jessica Ellis | Wayne County Courthouse, 925 Court Street, Honesdale; 570-253-5970 ext. 4090 | Honesdale, Waymart, Prompton, Canaan, South Canaan, Cherry Ridge, and Texas Townships. |
| Magisterial District 22-3-04 | Hon. Jonathan Dunsinger | 570-448-2061 | Starrucca, Bethany, Dyberry, Clinton, Berlin, Buckingham, Damascus, Lebanon, Manchester, Oregon, Mount Pleasant, Preston, Scott. |
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is a separate federal court source assigned to this Wayne County trial-court page.
Federal district cases do not replace Wayne County common pleas dockets, but they matter when a case is filed under federal jurisdiction.
Wayne County Court Levels
Pennsylvania's local court names differ from many states. Wayne County's Court of Common Pleas is not a small-claims court and is not the same as a federal district court. Magisterial District Courts are lower Pennsylvania courts that handle traffic, smaller civil, landlord-tenant, summary, preliminary criminal, and warrant functions. Appeals from many MDJ matters move to the Court of Common Pleas.
| Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Court | Federal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local role | General Wayne County trial court. | Lower local court for first-stage and smaller matters. | Federal court system, not a county court. |
| Civil work | Major civil, family, divorce, custody, PFA, equity, and appeals. | Civil monetary disputes up to $12,000 and landlord-tenant matters. | Federal-question, diversity, civil-rights, habeas, and other federal cases. |
| Criminal work | Felonies, pleas, trials, sentences, and MDJ appeals. | Preliminary arraignments, bail, preliminary hearings, and summary matters. | Federal criminal cases and federal warrants. |
| Search channel | UJS Case Search plus clerk offices for copies. | UJS Case Search, PAePay, and MDJ office contact. | PACER/CM-ECF and federal court websites. |
Wayne County Case Flow
Case movement depends on whether the case starts as civil, criminal, family, traffic, or landlord-tenant. Many criminal matters begin before a Magisterial District Judge, where preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing events can occur. If the case moves forward as a felony or other Common Pleas matter, the Court of Common Pleas handles arraignment, pretrial events, plea or trial, disposition, sentence, and appeal activity.
Criminal flow: MDJ preliminary stage › Court of Common Pleas filing › arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › Superior Court appeal when allowed.
Civil flow: Prothonotary filing › service and response › scheduling or arbitration/master process where required › hearing or trial › judgment or order › appeal.
For traffic and summary matters, the MDJ court may remain the main venue unless a party appeals to the Court of Common Pleas. Court costs and traffic obligations may also appear in PAePay when the payment is eligible for online handling.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is also assigned in the manifest for this page.
Bankruptcy cases use the federal bankruptcy court, while Wayne County Court of Common Pleas cases use Pennsylvania trial-court channels.
Note: A docket number beginning with CP points to Common Pleas, while many MDJ docket numbers begin with MJ.
Wayne County Common Pleas Records
Common Pleas records may involve several clerk functions. Civil and family records are filed with the Prothonotary. Criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts. Estate, guardianship, adoption, and related Orphans' Court matters are handled through the Clerk of the Orphans' Court function. That is why a broad Wayne County Court of Common Pleas search may locate a docket online, but a copy request still depends on the record type.
- Civil actions, equity, eminent domain, judgments, liens, stipulations, and appeals.
- Family records, including divorce actions, custody, support, and PFA matters.
- Criminal records, including charges, pleas, court events, disposition, sentence, bail, and appeals.
- Orphans' Court records, including estates, guardianships, claims, and family settlement agreements.
- Confidential or restricted files, including juvenile cases, adoption, sealed files, and some child-victim criminal cases.
Search Wayne County Court Records
The county Court Case Information page directs searchers to the Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal for appellate, common pleas, and magisterial district docket sheets; common pleas and magisterial calendars; state and local rules; and ePay. Secure UJS services can include secure docket sheets, secure calendars, statewide warrants, and attorney registration, but some secure services require login and approval.
| Search By | Use In Wayne County |
|---|---|
| Docket number | Use CP formats for Common Pleas and MJ formats for Magisterial District Courts. |
| Participant name | Search public cases by person or organization where access is allowed. |
| OTN or complaint number | Useful for public criminal docket records. |
| Citation number | Useful for traffic and summary matters. |
| Date filed | UJS research notes a maximum 180-day range for this search type. |
| County filter | Select Wayne to narrow statewide results. |
Recent court-office entries may not appear at once. UJS docket sheets are also not a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check. Juvenile, expunged, limited-access, sealed, and some child-victim criminal cases may not display even when the search terms are correct.
Wayne County Federal Distinctions
Wayne County is within the federal Middle District of Pennsylvania, but federal courts are not part of the county Court of Common Pleas. Federal criminal, federal civil, civil-rights, federal-question, diversity, habeas, prisoner civil-rights, and federal bankruptcy matters are searched through federal systems rather than the Wayne County Prothonotary or the Pennsylvania UJS state portal. PACER is the official paid federal docket system, and CourtListener may provide free access to some dockets or opinions, but it is not a complete official substitute.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator is one federal source assigned in the manifest.
Federal custody tools apply to federal inmates and do not show Wayne County Court of Common Pleas civil or criminal files.
CourtListener is another manifest source for this trial-court page.
Use free legal search sites with care; Wayne County and Pennsylvania court offices remain the source for official local case files and certified copies.