Delaware County Office of Judicial Support Director Mary Walk Updates County Council on Progress
Media, PA — At last Wednesday’s Delaware County Council meeting, Office of Judicial Support (OJS) Director Mary Walk provided her annual update on the recent progress made by her office, highlighted by the institution of e-filing in family and criminal filings along with responsible budget enhancements.
The Office of Judicial Support handles civil, family, and criminal filing matters throughout Delaware County. Walk, who acts as the prothonotary for civil matters and the Clerk of Courts for criminal matters, shared that her office, which serves as the filing office for the 32nd Judicial District of Pennsylvania, employs 50 people.
In 2025, OJS brought in $3,504,695 in revenue with a budget of $2,475,781, generating $1,028,914 in revenue for Delaware County. Walk shared that, over the last two years, the office has increased revenue by $301,475 and decreased their budget by $183,573, meaning that not only does OJS provide critical services for Delaware County residents, they do so while responsibly handling public money.
Last year, OJS processed 7,947 initial civil filings. Civil filings include OJS accepting and docketing lawsuits by individuals and businesses, landlord tenant appeals from the Magisterial District Courts, appeals from administrative agencies and arbitrations, notary registrations, mental health petitions, petitions for a change of name, and liens/judgments.
OJS processed 4,266 initial family filings in 2025, with 1,328 initial custody filings, 891 initial divorce filings, and 2,047 initial protection from abuse filings. On October 15, 2025, OJS instituted family e-filing, which has cut down on wait times and paper usage while greatly improving efficiency. Since implementation, the office has accepted 11,290 electronic filings (not just initial filings) in just 10 months, showcasing the importance and popularity of these innovations.
When it comes to the 10,806 criminal filings they did in 2025, OJS dockets motions and petitions, accepts bail payments and processes bail refunds, issues and rescinds bench warrants, issues private detective licenses, provides summary appeals from Magisterial District Courts, and processes expungements from Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts. In September of 2025, OJS instituted e-filing and has since accepted 2,706 filings electronically.
Walk then ran through the responsibilities of other important divisions of her office, spotlighting court clerks, passport applications, records management, and naturalization.
Court clerks spend most of their time preparing for and attending civil, family, and criminal court hearings and trials. In court, they electronically record the proceedings, mark and dock exhibits, complete the criminal sentencing order for the judge’s signature, assist with questioning prospecting jurors, and read the verdict. Walk mentioned that clerks now work on filing when they are not in court rather than simply preparing for the following day, greatly increasing the efficiency of the office.
In 2025, OJS accepted 5,153 passport applications, an increase of 834 from the previous year. Passport agents are required to recertify annually by passing a test administered by the US Department of State, which members of the office recently did.
OJS maintains the official docket for civil and criminal proceedings, fulfilling thousands of document requests per year (divorce records, naturalization records, etc.) and providing the certified record to the PA Appellate Courts for civil and criminal appeals.
The Office of Judicial Support also coordinates with US Citizenship and Immigration Services to facilitate naturalization ceremonies four times a year. While the ceremonies are typically held at the Delaware County Courthouse, the September ceremony will be held at the historic 1724 Chester Courthouse as part of America250PADelco celebrations. For more information about the Delaware County Office of Judicial Support, visit delcopa.gov/ojs.
