KYJKnow Your Judge v0.6.2by SwansLake
Judge directoryChesley A. Lightsey

Active Trial judge

Chesley A. Lightsey

Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Judicial District 01 (Philadelphia County)

Pennsylvania · Philadelphia County

Identity verifiedOfficial profile locatedOfficial sources collectedPresentation intelligence
01

Overview

Identity and service

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

Judicial role
Common Pleas Judge
Service status
Active
Court level
Trial
Jurisdiction
State
02

Before you appear

Preparation checklist

  1. 01

    Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.

  2. 02

    Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.

  3. 03

    Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

Scope note

Statewide and courtwide guidance is labeled by scope and is not evidence of a personal preference. Division, judge-specific, or case-specific orders may control.

03

Presentation rules

What the public sources say

CourtwideExplicit
Trial Or Evidentiary Hearing

Restricted

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.

Page
2
Section
Rule *5101(d)
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source 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.

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
Trial Or Evidentiary Hearing

Restricted

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.

Page
2
Section
Rule *5101(e)
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source 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.

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

CourtwideExplicit
After Trial Or Evidentiary Hearing

Restricted

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.

Page
2
Section
Rule *5101(j)(1)(a)
Last checked
July 28, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source 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

The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.

StatewideExplicit
Courtroom Proceeding

Leave required

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.

Page
201 Pa. Code Chapter 19
Section
Rule 1910, Broadcasting, Recording and Photography in the Courtroom
Last checked
July 26, 2026
Verification
Automated checks passed
Read supporting source excerpt
the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence

The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.

04

Courtroom technology

Published equipment guidance

No technology specification indexed

Technology availability is separate from procedural permission and evidentiary admissibility.

05

Published opinion footprint

Decisions and citations

Opinion data is not yet indexed for this profile

This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.

06

Sources

Public documents behind this profile

07

Change history

How this profile entered KYJ

Current profile indexed

Identity imported from Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. 4 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.