Funciones del Prothonotario y el Secretario de los Tribunales en Pensilvania

Explicación Simple

En Pensilvania, hay personas que ayudan a manejar los documentos legales en los tribunales. Algunas de estas personas trabajan con casos de herencias y otras solo con casos criminales, dependiendo de la corte.

Es como si en una cocina, un chef se encargara de los postres y otro de los platos principales; cada uno tiene su tarea específica para que la comida salga bien.

Ejemplo Práctico

Imagina que Juan quiere hacer un testamento. Tiene que ir al tribunal de su condado y allí un prothonotario le ayudará con los documentos necesarios. Sin embargo, si su caso fuera criminal, tendría que acudir a un secretario de los tribunales, no al prothonotario.

Texto Original del Estatuto (Inglés)

42 Pa.C.S. 2738 - Criminal, Probate, Estates And Fiduciary Matters (a) General rule.--The personnel of the office of the prothonotary shall exercise the powers and perform the duties vested in or imposed upon the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas by: (1) Subchapter C (relating to clerks of the courts) where no separate clerk of the courts is authorized for the county. (2) Subchapter D (relating to clerks of orphans' court divisions) where no separate clerk of the orphans' court division is authorized for the county. (b) Criminal matters.--Except as provided in subsection (a)(1), the office of the prothonotary shall not exercise the powers and perform the duties of the office of the clerk of the courts. (c) Probate, estates and fiduciary matters.--Except as provided in subsection (a)(2), the office of the prothonotary shall not exercise the powers and perform the duties of the office of the clerk of the orphans' court division. 42 Pa.C.S. 2751 - Clerk Of The Courts (a) General rule.--In each county of this Commonwealth there shall be a clerk of the courts for the court of common pleas who shall be known as the "Clerk of the Courts of (the respective) County." (b) Multicounty judicial districts.--In multicounty judicial districts the clerk of the courts shall be the clerk of the courts of the branch of the court of common pleas established for the county. (c) Philadelphia.--In the first judicial district there shall be a clerk of the courts for the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and the Philadelphia Municipal Court, who shall be known as the "Clerk of Quarter Sessions of Philadelphia."