Christopher E. O'Neill

Magisterial District Court 07-1-09 is one of eighteen magisterial district courts in Bucks County. Judge Christopher E. O'Neill presides. It serves 2 municipalities, listed above. If you were charged by an officer in one of those municipalities, this is almost certainly where your case begins.

Magisterial district courts handle the earliest stages of nearly every criminal case in Bucks County. After an arrest, a preliminary arraignment sets bail and gives you your next court date. Bail can be posted at the Clerk of Courts in the Justice Center during business hours, at the district court of record, or — between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays — at the Bucks County Correctional Facility on South Easton Road.

The preliminary hearing comes next. It is not a trial — nobody is found guilty or not guilty at that stage, and the Commonwealth only has to show there is enough evidence for the case to move forward. Check the date and location printed on the paperwork you were given, and call ahead if anything is unclear. Cases held for court go to the Bucks County Justice Center, 100 North Main Street in Doylestown, where formal arraignment is typically scheduled about four weeks later.

One Bucks County detail worth knowing early: the District Attorney's ARD application is filed at the magisterial district court — this one — and the form itself requires it back on or before the day of your preliminary hearing. Admission also requires waiving that hearing. The decision therefore has to be made before your first appearance is over, which is why it is worth a conversation beforehand.