Ballot Question No. 2

PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 2

ABOLITION OF THE PHILADELPHIA TRAFFIC COURT

Ballot Question

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to abolish the Philadelphia Traffic Court?

Plain English Statement of the Office of Attorney General

The purpose of the ballot question is to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to abolish the Traffic Court in the City of Philadelphia.

Presently, the Pennsylvania Constitution provides for the Traffic Court in the City of Philadelphia as part of the unified judicial system. If the ballot question were to be approved, the Traffic Court in theCity of Philadelphia would be abolished by removing all references to the Traffic Court and the judges of the Traffic Court in the City of Philadelphia from the Pennsylvania Constitution.

Legislation enacted in 2013 transferred the functions performed by the Traffic Court to the Philadelphia Municipal Court. As a result, violations of the Vehicle Code previously adjudicated by the Traffic Court are presently being adjudicated by the Philadelphia Municipal Court. The proposed amendment would officially abolish the Traffic Court by removing all references to the Traffic Court and its judges from the Pennsylvania Constitution.

This ballot question is limited to whether the Traffic Court in the City of Philadelphia should be abolished. The ballot question would not amend any other provisions of the Pennsylvania Constitution beyond the removal of all references to the Traffic Court and its judges.

The effect of the ballot question would be to abolish the Traffic Court in the City of Philadelphia.

As discussed above, legislation enacted in 2013 transferred the functions of the Traffic Court to the Philadelphia Municipal Court. This amendment would officially abolish the Traffic Court by removing all references to the Traffic Court and its judges from the Pennsylvania Constitution.