East Goshen and West Goshen residents would file in different magisterial courts under a redistricting plan from the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.
The proposed realignment would eliminate Magisterial District 15-1-02 and redistribute its municipalities among three remaining districts in the Fifteenth Judicial District. Public comments are due by Sunday, Oct. 25.
The vacancy in District 15-1-02 opened when Magisterial District Judge Mackenzie Smith was appointed and then elected to the Court of Common Pleas. President Judge Annmarie Wheatcraft, who has supervisory authority over the district's 16 magisterial courts, can initiate a boundary review when a judicial vacancy occurs, outside the regular 10-year cycle.
What changes for local residents
Under the plan, East Goshen Township and Willistown Township would move into Magisterial District 15-2-03, joining West Goshen Township, Westtown Township and Thornbury Township. Easttown Township would shift to District 15-4-01, alongside Tredyffrin Township and East Whiteland Township. Malvern Borough would join District 15-4-03 with West Whiteland Township and parts of East Whiteland Township.
The realignment would also end longstanding splits. Tredyffrin Township has been divided between two magisterial districts since 1994. East Whiteland Township has been split since 2002, and Westtown Township since 2022. Under the new plan, each would file in a single district.
Caseload numbers
Overall filings in Chester County's magisterial courts dropped an average of 14.42% from 2022 to 2025. That decline is measured against the 2014–2019 filing period used in the last decennial review, according to the court's proposal. The county's average annual caseload per district stood at 5,402 for 2022 through 2025.
District 15-2-03, which covers West Goshen, currently handles about 4,597 cases per year. Under the proposal, that number would jump to roughly 7,095. District 15-4-03 would rise from 4,224 to about 7,065 cases. District 15-4-01, already the busiest of the three at 6,823 cases, would see a modest increase to 6,997.
Staff from the eliminated court would be reassigned to the three absorbing districts.
Public comment
The 30-day comment period closes Oct. 25. After that, the petition goes to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) and then to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for approval or denial.
Comments can be sent by mail to Court Administration, c/o Realignment Petition Comments, 201 West Market St., Suite 4100, West Chester, PA 19380, or by email to [email protected]. Vicky Bartholomew, the county's minor judiciary administrator, can be reached at 610-344-6173.
