dants in response to the instant lawsuit; and (3) the current civil forfeiture procedures, which the First Judicial District adopted on July 25, 2016 (“the Current Procedures”). The relevant details of each of these three sets of procedures are set forth below.
A. Civil Forfeiture Procedures Prior to October 2015
Plaintiffs allege that, prior to January 2007, the court administrators of the First Judicial District, predecessors of the FJD Defendants, assigned forfeiture matters to a criminal court judge or criminal motions judge of the Court of Common Pleas. See SAC ¶¶ 114-19. From 1999 to,2004, a criminal court judge heard all forfeiture cases in a dedicated courtroom in the Criminal Justice Center, with a complete court staff, including, a stenographer, a Clerk of Quarter Sessions, and criminal listing support staff. Id. ¶ 115. At some point between 2004 and 2007, a shortage of personnel resulted in no Clerk of Quarter Sessions or stenographer in the forfeiture courtroom. Id. ¶ 122.
In January 2007, the FJD Defendants notified Assistant District Attorneys that forfeiture and related proceedings would be transferred to the Civil Court Division. Id, ¶ 123. Accordingly, the FJD Defendants transferred forfeiture proceedings-to Courtroom 478 in City Hall. Id. Coui’troom 478 lacked a presiding judge or any officer with adjudicative ability, and had no stenographer, court reporter, or Clerk of Quarter Sessions. Id. ¶ 124. Instead, Assistant District Attorneys with the Public Nuisance Task Force — the unit of the D.A.’s Office that filed and litigated civil forfeiture petitions — fully controlled the proceedings. Id. ¶ 129. Cases involving personal property were frequently assigned to a paralegal instead of a prosecutor. Id. ¶ 130.
Under this procedure, -upon the filing of a civil forfeiture petition, property owners were required to appear in Courtroom 478 at 9 a.m. to attempt to reclaim their property. Id. ¶ 127. If a property owner failed to appear, prosecutors marked the case for default judgment without any determination, judicial or otherwise, as to the reason the property owner did not appear. Id. ¶ 132. If the, property owner did appear, the assigned prosecutor or paralegal would discuss the case with the property owner, frequently advising the, owner that he or she did not need an attorney. Id. ¶ 135. Plaintiffs allege that prosecutors and paralegals (1) routinely gave property owners a set of over 50 pattern interrogatories, to be answered under penalty of perjury; (2) compelled owners of real property to execute agreements to unseal their residences on certain conditions, including barring specific individuals from entering indefinitely and waiving statutory and constitutional defenses; and (3) relisted civil proceedings an average of five times each, requiring property owners to appear each time or risk default of their property. See id. ¶¶ 136-41. .
B. Defendants’ Interim Measures
Plaintiffs filed this suit on August 11, 2014, challenging the constitutionality of the above procedures. Plaintiffs, allege that on or about June 25, 2015, the FJD Defendants met with the D.A.’s Office to discuss changes to the administration of, civil' forfeiture proceedings. Id. 1143. As an interim measure, beginning on October 19, 2015, Court of Common Pleas Trial Commissioners, who are not judges,3 began
3
, The website of the First Judicial ■ District Municipal Court, Civil Division, explains that Trial Commissioners are “not judges but they do have the authority to handle all requests that do not require ... judicial determination,” First Jud. Dist. of Pa., Mun, Ct., Civ, Div.,
http://www.courts.phila.gov/mumcipal/ civil (last visited March 16, 2017). As Plaintiffs point out, the website, specifically states *1064that "legal determination[s]” are "beyond” the “accepted scope of responsibilities” for Trial Commissioners. Id,