Despite the large increase in criminal charges, total cases in his district dropped 10 percent due in large part to a decrease in traffic citations. The drop is probably because of fewer citations for unpaid parking tickets, Prestia said.

Prestia said some other districts receive only a quarter of the 17,000 to 21,000 cases he handles each year.

"It's been tough on my staff and me to keep up," said Prestia, who added that he welcomes the additional court.

Centre County officials decided to split the borough between Prestia and the office of new District Justice Jonathan Grine after a mandatory review of all district courts by county authorities following the 2000 U.S. census.

"The State College district justice's caseload was extremely high," said Barb Gallo, assistant court administrator at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte. She said this factor contributed to a recommendation that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court split the district.

State law mandates that each county perform an evaluation of all district court offices and present it before the Supreme Court after each 10-year census. That evaluation found that a new magistrate was needed in State College, Gallo said.

A plan was submitted to divide Prestia's court based on rules set by the Supreme Court. Population, estimated caseloads for each court, existing municipality and voter precinct boundaries, and geographic convenience all factored into the plan.

Grine's office holds jurisdiction over the majority of University Park. He said his caseload has not been too heavy since the court's Jan. 5 opening, but he expects his workload to pick up once parking citations that are issued to students who have since returned to campus hit his desk.

"I imagine as time goes on, we will get a little busier," Grine said.

Prestia said processing charges used to take one to two months, but the new office may allow hearings to be handled within three weeks of case filings.

He said the new office should give cases the attention they deserve and help citizens get a speedy trial.

"I won't be in a rush all the time," he said.

Grine, a 1996 Penn State graduate, received his law degree from Dickinson College in 2000 and worked as a law clerk and in private practice before seeking election to the new position in 2003. He won both major party nominations during the primary election and ran unopposed in the general election.

He said the position appealed to him because it combines legal research, problem-solving skills and public service.

"It is just kind of a new challenge I guess," Grine said.