Three of the four magisterial district judges in Carbon County faced election or re-election in Tuesday's primary election, and all three were unopposed.

The sitting jurists include Casimir T. Kosciolek, Lake Hauto, Nesquehoning; William J. Kissner, Franklin Township; and Eric Schrantz, Jim Thorpe. As state employees, they are paid $89,438 per annum in 2017.Kosciolek represents District 56-3-03, which includes all of the boroughs of Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill, all of East Penn Township, and the Mahoning and New Mahoning districts of Mahoning Township.Kissner represents District 56-3-02, which encompasses all of the boroughs of Palmerton, Parryville and Bowmanstown and all of the townships of Lower Towamensing, Towamensing and Franklin.Schrantz represents District 56-3-01, which includes all of the boroughs of Jim Thorpe, Lehighton and Weissport borough, all of Penn Forest Township and the Packerton/Jamestown district of Mahoning Township.Schrantz was nominated for the magisterial district post by Gov. Tom Wolf and the appointment was confirmed by the Senate last July. He took office on Aug. 4, 2016.In all three races, the sitting magistrates are all cross-filed, meaning their names appeared on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.In complimentary voting, the vote totals for the magistrates included:Kosciolek: Democratic, 1,185; Republican, 725Kissner: Democratic, 824; Republican, 1,010Schrantz: Democratic, 1,180; Republican, 831.The fourth magisterial district judge in Carbon County is Joseph D. Homanko Sr., who represents District 56-3-04. That district includes all of Beaver Meadows, East Side and Weatherly boroughs and all of Banks, Kidder, Lausanne, Lehigh and Packer townships.Homanko was re-elected to a six-year term in the 2015 election. It runs through December 2021.The magisterial district court is the first level of judicial authority in Pennsylvania and is the court where most people experience the judicial system for the first time. The district judges handle all traffic cases, summary criminal offenses, municipal code violations, landlord/tenant suits and civil cases involving amounts up to $12,000.District judges also set bail and conduct preliminary hearings in misdemeanor and felony criminal cases to determine if the cases should be dismissed or transferred to the Court of Common Pleas for further proceedings.