§ 1722. Adoption of administrative and procedural rules.
(a) General rule.--The governing authority shall have the power to prescribe and modify general rules governing:
(1) Practice, procedure and the conduct of all courts, magisterial district judges and all officers serving process or enforcing orders of any court or magisterial district judge and for admission to the bar and to practice law, and the administration of all courts and the supervision of all officers of the judicial branch, if such rules are consistent with the Constitution of Pennsylvania and neither abridge, enlarge nor modify the substantive rights of any litigant, nor affect the right of the General Assembly to determine the jurisdiction of any court or magisterial district judge, nor suspend nor alter any statute of limitation or repose. All statutes shall be suspended to the extent that they are inconsistent with rules prescribed under this paragraph.
(2) The prescription of canons of ethics applicable to judges and magisterial district judges and the prescription of rules or canons applicable to the activities of all other personnel of the system.
(3) Procedure under section 18 of Article V of the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
(4) Procedure under section 18 of Article V of the Constitution of Pennsylvania for the suspension, removal, discipline and compulsory retirement of magisterial district judges.
(5) Any matter which is specifically authorized by statute to be governed by general rules.
A governing authority other than the Supreme Court shall not have power to prescribe general rules for assignment or reassignment of classes of matters among the several courts and magisterial district judges under section 503 (relating to reassignment of matters) or otherwise.
(b) Enforcement and effect of orders and process.--To the extent, if any, that such powers shall not be conferred by the provisions of subsection (a)(1) and (5), the governing authority shall have power to prescribe and modify general rules, consistent with this title and any other applicable unrepealed statute, governing:
(1) The effect of judgments and other orders of, and the right to and effect of attachments and other process issuing out of, a tribunal, and the manner of the enforcement of any thereof, including the time during which and the property with respect to which they shall be a lien, the relative priority of liens and other claims, stays of execution which may or shall be granted, satisfaction of judgments and dissolution of attachments, and all other matters relating to judgments and other orders and attachments and other process which have been regulated heretofore by statute.
(2) The powers and duties of system and related personnel serving process or enforcing orders, insofar as such powers and duties relate to the custody of and the judicial sale or other disposition of property of judgment debtors and other property within the jurisdiction of a tribunal. Any such system or related personnel who shall comply with the provisions of such rules shall be free from all liability to any person with respect to action in pursuance of such rules.
A statute shall be repealed for the purposes of this subsection only if it has been expressly repealed absolutely or insofar as inconsistent with general rules prescribed pursuant to this subsection.
(c) Time limitations.--The governing authority shall have power to prescribe and modify general rules:
(1) On any subject covered by Subchapter D of Chapter 55 (relating to appeals).
(2) Specifying the time within which a matter must be commenced under section 708 (relating to improvident administrative appeals and other matters) or otherwise objecting to a determination of a government unit.
The provisions of Chapter 55 (relating to limitation of time) and all other statutes shall be suspended to the extent that they are inconsistent with rules prescribed under this subsection. The intention of this subsection is to authorize the governing authority to develop and maintain uniformity in time periods within the scope of this subsection by eliminating statutory time limitations which are inconsistent with the general pattern of similar time limitations then in effect.
(July 20, 1979, P.L.157, No.52, eff. 60 days; July 2, 1993, P.L.395, No.56, eff. Aug. 16, 1993; Nov. 30, 2004, P.L.1618, No.207, eff. 60 days)
2004 Amendment. Act 207 amended subsec. (a). See section 29 of Act 207 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to construction of law.
Loan Interest and Protection Law. Section 11 of Act 142 of 1976 provided that nothing in section 1722(b) of this title or in any other provision of Act 142 shall in any way repeal, modify or otherwise affect the act of January 30, 1974 (P.L.13, No.6), referred to as the Loan Interest and Protection Law.
Cross References. Section 1722 is referred to in sections 1702, 4302, 4303, 5504, 5573 of this title; section 702 of Title 44 (Law and Justice).
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