| Law and Government |
| From a governmental perspective, Philadelphia County is a legal nullity, as all county functions were assumed by the city in 1952, which has been coterminous with the county since 1854. |
Historic seal of the city of Philadelphia, made by William Penn. |
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| Executive |
| The city is headed by an elected mayor who is limited to two consecutive four-year terms, but can run for the position again after an intervening term. The incumbent is former Philadelphia City Council President John Street (D), who was first elected in 1999. He was re-elected by a larger majority in 2003. |
| Legislative |
| The legislative branch of Philadelphia is the Philadelphia City Council. Philadelphia has seven council members at large, and ten council members from districts. The current council president is Anna C. Verna. |
| Judicial |
| The Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Philadelphia. It is funded and operated largely by City resources and employees. |
| The Philadelphia Municipal Court handles matters of limited jurisdiction as well as landlord-tenant disputes, appeals from traffic court, conducts preliminary examinations for felony-level offenses, and the like. |
| Traffic Court is a court of special jurisdiction which hears violations of traffic laws. |
Pennsylvania's three appellate courts also sit in Philadelphia. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which is the court of last resort in the state, regularly hears arguments in Philadelphia City Hall. Also, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania sit in Philadelphia several times a year.
Judges for all of the above courts are elected at large.
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