--- title: "T. Francis Shields | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/t-francis-shields-pa-common-pleas-01-5cda9885" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-28" --- # T. Francis Shields Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Judicial District 01 (Philadelphia County) · Common Pleas Judge ## Profile - Court: Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Judicial District 01 (Philadelphia County) - State: Pennsylvania - Role: Common Pleas Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### physical and oversized exhibits Scope: courtwide Philadelphia Rule 5101 requires physical evidence and oversized exhibits to be photographed, converted to letter-sized PDF, marked, and produced during trial or an evidentiary hearing. Evidence excerpt: Physical evidence and oversized exhibits must be photographed by the proponent, converted to letter sized pdf and appropriately marked and produced during the trial or evidentiary hearing. [Philadelphia Rule of Judicial Administration No. *5101](https://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/regs/2024/06-of-2024-GCR.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### audio and video exhibits Scope: courtwide Electronic evidence, including audio or video exhibits, must be supplied on a USB drive, CD/DVD, or another medium specified by the presiding judge or Office of Judicial Records. Evidence excerpt: Electronic evidence, including audio or video exhibits, must be produced by the proponent on a USB drive, CD/DVD, or other medium specified by the presiding judge or Office of Judicial Records. [Philadelphia Rule of Judicial Administration No. *5101](https://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/regs/2024/06-of-2024-GCR.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### post trial exhibit filing Scope: courtwide For Civil Section trials and evidentiary hearings, each proponent must upload documentary exhibits and provide any audio or video media to the Office of Judicial Records within five days after the proceeding concludes. Evidence excerpt: within five (5) days of the conclusion of the trial or evidentiary hearing, counsel for each proponent of the exhibits and evidence shall upload their documentary exhibits through the Electronic Filing System [Philadelphia Rule of Judicial Administration No. *5101](https://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/regs/2024/06-of-2024-GCR.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### recording photography evidence presentation Scope: statewide For Pennsylvania Common Pleas proceedings, statewide Pa.R.J.A. 1910 prohibits courtroom broadcasting, recording, and photography unless an exception or judicial authorization applies; the rule also recognizes judge-authorized electronic or photographic means for evidence presentation. Evidence excerpt: the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence [201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.pacourts.us/courts/courts-of-common-pleas/common-pleas-judges) - [Official roster](https://www.pacourts.us/courts/courts-of-common-pleas/common-pleas-judges) - [Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania official judicial roster](https://www.pacourts.us/courts/courts-of-common-pleas/common-pleas-judges) - [Philadelphia Rule of Judicial Administration No. *5101](https://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/regs/2024/06-of-2024-GCR.pdf) - [201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/t-francis-shields-pa-common-pleas-01-5cda9885", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/t-francis-shields-pa-common-pleas-01-5cda9885", "name": "T. Francis Shields | KnowJudges", "description": "T. Francis Shields, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Judicial District 01 (Philadelphia County). 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Francis Shields is the President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court in Pennsylvania, serving a term that ends January 5, 2032, and was re‐elected in November 2025 with 85.5% of the vote - As President Judge, he has issued administrative orders, such as in August 2024, appointing qualified court employees as emergency substitute magistrates due to increased caseloads and staffing shortages - He is also the President Judge of the court, a role that includes administrative oversight and judicial leadership ### Education ### Additional information - Shields has been a judge since 2019 and is listed in the Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania’s “Find a Judge” directory - His professional background includes service as a court attorney before becoming a judge - For case look‐ups, fine payments, or official forms, the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System and the Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania provide public access to his judicial services - Shields presides over the Philadelphia Municipal Court, the city’s primary trial court for non‐criminal cases such as traffic violations, small claims, and certain municipal offenses. ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [201 Pa. Code Chapter 19, Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-0784d9a288c3456edcbc19ff) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?d=&file=%2Fsecure%2Fpacode%2Fdata%2F201%2Fchapter19%2Fchap19toc.html). Collected 2026-07-26.