Washington County could be shuttering two Magisterial District Judge offices with one being as early as next year if a recent realignment proposal is confirmed. Following the census every decade, all counties in Pennsylvania are tasked with evaluating, reestablishing or eliminating district courts based on the caseload and work distribution at each office. Washington County, which falls under the 27th Judicial District, currently has 11 offices. The county says the caseload in the 27th District has dropped significantly since the last reestablishment 10 years ago and that no other 4th class county in the state has more than 9 total magisterial district offices. There has also not been a substantive rebalancing of judicial workload in the county in over 20 years. The proposal eliminates the vacant office in Peters Township once held by Jesse Pettit and the office in Bentleyville, currently ran by Curtis Thompson. The vacant Peters Township office would be eliminated next year if the proposal holds, and residents in the municipality would be sent to Louis McQuillan’s office (27-3-06 pictured) in Cecil Township for any filings or court events. Residents currently assigned to Thompson’s office would not have to worry about a move until the proposed elimination date of 2028. All proposal paperwork, along with frequently asked questions can be found on the Washington County Courts website. All written public comments are encouraged and must be sent to Deputy Court Administrator Kathy Tarr by June 21st. The comments will be attached to the proposal when it is sent along to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.