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46-486: In 2009, county officials celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the courthouse during centennial celebrations at which Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer delivered the keynote address. The cornerstone for the courthouse was laid on April 5, 1906. Although no formal ceremonies were held, roughly one hundred people were in attendance to witness the event, which was held in Wilkes-Barre at two o'clock in

92-801: A belligerent, stubborn denial of the authority of the very people he admired. Teedyuscung left the Moravian settlement in 1754 and settled farther north in the Wyoming Valley . It was while living among other displaced Indians that Teedyuscung would declare himself "King of the Delawares" and assume a vital role in the negotiations between the Natives of Pennsylvania and the colonial government in Philadelphia . Colonists continued to move onto Indian lands throughout eastern Pennsylvania and

138-576: A claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court . The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made official in 1722 upon its reorganization as an entity separate from the control of the colonial governor . The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania maintains a discretionary docket , meaning that

184-531: A colorful version of the Luzerne County seal, was adorned with twelve allegorical paintings depicting: abundance, art, equality, freedom, force, independence, justice, peace, philosophy, science, truth, and wisdom. At the dome's base, four large figures were installed to illustrate the attributes of America's legal system. Inscribed under the figure of moral law is the Latin phrase, "Hic fons Aequitatis" ("This

230-594: A fishing pier, and two grand gateways connecting the city to the river. There are also views of the courthouse from across the river (in Kirby Park and Nesbitt Park). Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 's Unified Judicial System . It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States ,

276-547: A majority of no votes in the election of 2005. He was replaced by Justice Cynthia Baldwin , who was appointed by Governor Rendell in 2005. Only one Supreme Court Justice, Rolf Larsen , has been removed from office by impeachment . In 1994, the State House of Representatives handed down articles of impeachment consisting of seven counts of misconduct. A majority of the State Senate voted against Larsen in five of

322-717: A permanent home for Teedyuscung and his people in the Wyoming Valley. The promised investigation into the Walking Purchase was passed from the colonial government in Philadelphia to the British government in London , where it was eventually dropped. Teedyuscung was left unsupported and unprotected. On April 19, 1763 his cabin and the village of Wyolutimunk was burned to the ground by arsonists . Teedyuscung

368-477: A portrait of Anne-César de La Luzerne , the man for whom Luzerne County was named. And the first floor's corridors were designed with mosaics of a book and lamp, symbolizing knowledge, a pair of scales, symbolizing justice, and an hour glass, which symbolizes the fleeting nature of time while cameos on the second floor evoked the positive attributes of conscience, courage, fortitude, good governance, knowledge, patriotism, understanding, and virtue. Archways throughout

414-537: A similar law in Minnesota was struck down as unconstitutional ( Republican Party of Minnesota v. White ), the Pennsylvania rules were amended, and judicial candidates may now express political viewpoints as long as they do not "commit or appear to commit the candidate with respect to cases, controversies or issues that are likely to come before the court." (PA Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 7 (B)(1)(c)) After

460-407: Is the fountainhead of all justice"). The phrase "Mos pro Lece" ("Usage has force of law") accompanied the figure of common law while statute law and equity law were described, respectively, by "Lex Appetit" ("The law aims at perfection") and "Aequitas Sequitur" ("Equity follows the law"). Much of the artwork featured in the dome was created by U. Pastore of Scranton and Frederick Stohr. The courthouse

506-620: The Moravian Church at Lehighton . He did not remain with the Moravians for long. His biographer, Anthony F. C. Wallace , wrote, Teedyuscung was of two minds, as far as white people were concerned, and what satisfied one offended the other. He was driven to identify himself with the Europeans by an acute sense of his insecurity and inferiority as a member of the broken Delaware society. But this same anxious sense of shame produced

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552-629: The Pennsylvania Constitution , it was one of the first appellate courts in the United States to claim the power to declare laws made by an elected legislative body unconstitutional ( Respublica v. Duquet , 2 Yeates 493 (1799) ). The court meets in three cities: Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , and Harrisburg . The Pennsylvania Supreme Court consists of seven justices , each elected to ten year terms. Supreme Court judicial candidates may run on party tickets. The justice with

598-674: The Poconos region. The name meant "place of surprise", where a group of Native Americans were once surprised. The village was burned down on the night of April 19, 1763 by arsonists, who also burned down Teedyuscung's cabin, after which the Lenape left the area. The site was next settled in July 1773, by Benjamin Jones, and became the southern part of Falls Township of Wyoming County. A historical marker, located on Pennsylvania Route 92 , across

644-776: The Privy Council of the United Kingdom in London. Between 1780 and 1808, a Pennsylvania High Court of Errors and Appeals existed, which was the court of last resort in Pennsylvania. After that court's dissolution in 1808, the Commonwealth's Supreme Court became, and remains, the court of last resort in the Pennsylvania judiciary. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania predates the United States Supreme Court by more than 100 years. Interpreting

690-604: The Susquehanna River from the site, is the place where Teedyuscung met with Christian Frederick Post on May 17, 1760. He was on his way to Tioga, Pennsylvania and the "great concourse in the West. A statue at the Wissahickon Valley Park memorializes Teedyuscung's role as a Native American leader. John Massey Rhind , a Scottish-American sculptor, created the statue for the park. It is located in

736-612: The Wyoming Valley near modern-day Wilkes-Barre . Teedyuscung was murdered by arsonists in the night of April 19, 1763. This marked the beginning of the end of the Lenape presence in Pennsylvania. Teedyuscung's son Chief Bull conducted a raid on the Wyoming Valley that was part of a greater Indian uprising. As a result, the Lenape were forced to move west of the Appalachian Mountains by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 . Teedyuscung, whose name means "as far as

782-529: The Court may choose which cases it accepts, with the exception of mandatory death penalty appeals, and certain appeals from the original jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court . This discretion allows the Court to wield powerful influence on the formation and interpretation of Pennsylvania law. The original Pennsylvania constitutions, drafted by William Penn , established a Provincial Court under

828-530: The Indians of the Wyoming Valley began to fight back. The Lenape in the Wyoming Valley felt pressure from three fronts. From the east came settlers from Connecticut which claimed the Wyoming Valley and all of Northern Pennsylvania. From the west were the French and their Indian allies who sought to prevent British expansion into the mountains of Pennsylvania. And from the south came colonists with land grants from

874-569: The Iroquois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Virginia did not allow Teedyuscung and his people to live in the peace that was promised. Teedyuscung was a casualty of the peace that brought about the end of the French and Indian War in Pennsylvania. The colonists agreed to pull back from settlements in the Ohio country in exchange for peace east of the Appalachians. The Iroquois refused to grant

920-474: The Lenape claim to any lands in the Wyoming Valley. The Quaker founders of Pennsylvania were losing control of their colony. As pacifists they did not fight against those who were willing to fight for the colony and settle on lands that the Quakers had promised to the Indians. The Colonies of Virginia and Connecticut settled lands in Pennsylvania that were part of their charters. The competing interests of

966-875: The afternoon. Placed within the cornerstone was a metal box which contained a Bible, a list of county officials and clerks, a 1905 edition of the Wilkes-Barre Record Almanac , the Smull Legislative Hand Book , copies of local newspapers ( Bratstvo , Hazleton Plain Speaker , Hazleton Sentinel , Hazleton Standard , Pittson Gazette , Wilkes-Barre Leader , Wilkes-Barre Record , Wilkes-Barre News , Wilkes-Barre Times ), historic photographs (Good Will No. 2 Fire Department, Wilkes-Barre, 1866; Protection No. 1 Fire Department, Wilkes-Barre, 1866; Wilkes-Barre Fire Department, 1866 and 1892; Wyoming No. 3 Fire Department, Wilkes-Barre, 1866;

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1012-687: The area. Teedyuscung encountered opposition in the talks at Easton and in later talks with the William Penn 's family, and the Iroquois Confederacy that he claimed to "represent" in the negotiations. The powerful Iroquois Confederacy claimed the Wyoming Valley and that the Lenape simply lived there with its permission. A combination of competing interests led to the eventual demise of Teedyuscung and his settlement at Wyolutimunk. The Iroquois were not pleased that Teedyuscung claimed to negotiate on their behalf and they refused to recognize

1058-407: The building were ornamented with representations of: air, earth, fire, and wind, electricity, minerals, steam, and water. Many of the larger paintings were created in oil on canvass by Vincent Aderente of Jersey City while a significant number of the smaller works, including the east corridor lunettes, were created by Robert Benvenuti of New York. The dome, which was topped with a skylight featuring

1104-738: The building's vaulted ceiling. Many were judges, associate judges or other officeholders. President judges of the courts of Luzerne County who were depicted included: John Handley (1835-1895); John B. Gibson (1780-1853), who later became Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court; Jacob Rush (1746-1820), the first president judge of Luzerne County's court system and a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice; Thomas Cooper (1759-1839); Seth Chapman (1771-1835); John N. Conyngham (1798-1871); William Jessup (1797-1868); Stanley Woodward (1833-1906); Garrick M. Harding (1827-1904); and Thomas Burnside (1782-1851). Also represented in

1150-531: The colonial government in Philadelphia. The Lenape were also under pressure from a severe drought that affected their crops. Teedyuscung had turned to the Pennsylvania colonial government for aid. Pennsylvania referred him to the Iroquois Six Nations government. Neither the Iroquois or Governor Robert Morris were able to provide aid the Lenape, who were attacked by French-allied Native Americans. Ultimately Teedyuscung chose to align his warriors with

1196-542: The control of his British governors. The General Assembly , however, espoused the principle of separation of powers and formally called for a third branch of government starting with the 1701 Judiciary Bill. In 1722, the appointed British governor needed the House to raise revenues. House leaders agreed to raise taxes in return for an independent Supreme Court. Until 1776, legislation and judicial decisions in Pennsylvania, as in various American colonies, were subject to review by

1242-589: The courthouse feature paintings depicting the purchase of the land from Indians by the Susquehanna Company at Albany in July 1754, the construction of the first houses in the Wyoming Valley, which were built for Teedyuscung and the Delaware people , the history and methods of transportation in the valley, including an ox cart, canal packet boat, and train, the Pennamite–Yankee War (1774), and

1288-572: The courthouse was built between 1906 and 1909. It is a cruciform plan building in the Classical Revival style, with a domed central rotunda 53 feet in diameter. It is built of Ohio sandstone , reinforced concrete , and terra cotta . It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Fifty-six portraits of men associated with the development of Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley were painted in groups of four on

1334-555: The dome for 20 to 30 years without harming the finishes was engineered. Only six of the 60 dome lights had been working. The project ended in April 2018, when remaining scaffolding came down. The courthouse grounds connect with the River Common (a park which runs along the riverbank). The Market Street Bridge bisects the park. Its features include a 750-person amphitheater , paved walk-ways, gardens, ornamental trees, seating areas,

1380-496: The event, which took place during the morning of Friday, September 25, the anniversary date of the county's formation in 1786. The weekend celebration also included a dinner dance and gala during the evening of September 26 and a 5K walk/run on Sunday, September 27, which raised funds for Luzerne County Special Olympics programs and was sponsored by the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association. The majority of expenses for

1426-580: The longest continuous service on the court automatically becomes Chief Justice . Justices must step down from the Supreme Court when they reach the age of 75 (at the end of the calendar year), but they may continue to serve part-time as "senior justices" on panels of the Commonwealth's lower appellate courts until they reach 78, the age of mandatory retirement. Prior to 2002, judicial candidates in Pennsylvania were prohibited from expressing their views on disputed legal or political issues. However, after

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1472-551: The old and new courthouses; a bird's eye view of Wilkes-Barre and a view of the river common; the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, Derr Memorial and Market Street bridge; and scenes from the 1904 flood); a program from the old courthouse's cornerstone laying, August 12, 1856; a one-dollar bill provided by Wilson J. Smith; and a centennial button. Judge Ferris presided over the brief event. Designed by architect Frederick John Osterling (1865–1934),

1518-411: The portraits collection were: Pennsylvania Governor Henry M. Hoyt (1830-1892); American Revolutionary War soldier and judge Matthias Hollenback (1752-1829); Governor and former Supreme Court Justice Thomas McKean (1734-1817); Revolutionary War officer Zebulon Butler (1731-1795); French and Indian War officer Eliphalet Dyer (1721-1807); John Wilkes and Isaac Barre, for whom the town of Wilkes-Barre

1564-514: The rest of Teedyuscung's life. The Lenape were driven out of the Trenton area by 1730 and Teedyuscung migrated with his wife and son to a piece of land located near the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers in what is now Northampton County , Pennsylvania . After Teedyuscung moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, he came in contact with fellow Lenape who had not become accustomed to

1610-585: The seven counts but only one charge garnered the two-thirds majority needed to convict. Under the 1874 Constitution and until the Pennsylvania state constitution of 1968, Supreme Court justices were elected to 21-year terms. At the time, it was the longest term of any elected office in the United States. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania consists of seven members who are elected to ten-year terms as justices. 40°15′52″N 76°53′0″W  /  40.26444°N 76.88333°W  / 40.26444; -76.88333 Teedyuscung Teedyuscung (c. 1700–1763)

1656-519: The ten-year term expires, a statewide yes or no vote for retention is conducted. A judge who is retained serves another ten-year term. If the judge is not retained, the governor, subject to the approval of the State Senate , appoints a temporary replacement until a special election can be held. As of 2005, only one judge has failed to win retention. After the 2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy , Justice Russell M. Nigro received

1702-574: The three-day event were covered by donations from sponsors and patrons with proceeds from the gala subsequently used for courthouse restoration efforts. Citing a century of damage, the county contracted Connecticut -based John Canning Studios for a $ 2.13 million restoration and conservation project. Having been in the building since the summer of 2017, technicians and artisans have repaired a multitude of artwork and design damaged by past water leakage, efflorescence, high-wattage lighting, cigarette smoke, and neglect. An LED lighting system that will illuminate

1748-471: The ways of the colonial settlers. These Lenape still practiced many of the ceremonies and rituals of their ancestors. Teedyuscung became a spokesman for the Lenape who were forced to negotiate with the government of Colonial Pennsylvania . The Lenape lost most of the Lehigh Valley following the Walking Purchase of 1737. Teedyuscung remained with his fellow Lenape until 1749 or 1750 when he joined

1794-481: The western Delaware and French. Teedyuscung and other leaders commenced periodic raids on colonial settlements in Eastern Pennsylvania. The Natives sought retribution for the series of "purchases" that resulted in massive loss of land to the colonists. Finally Teedyuscung and other leaders met in conferences in Philadelphia and Easton . This very Ground that is under me (striking it with his Foot)

1840-430: The wood's edge", was born circa 1700 near present-day Trenton , New Jersey . He was raised among a group of Lenape who were acculturated to the ways of the colonists by the time he reached adulthood. Teedyuscung and his family wore European-style clothing and used other European goods in their daily lives. Many of them had converted to Christianity and spoke English . Liquor introduced by traders deeply affected

1886-489: Was asleep in his cabin at the time and perished in the blaze. The residents of Wyolutimunk fled and settlers from the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut soon took their place. Teedyuscung's dream of a Lenape home in the Wyoming Valley ended with his death. Wyolutimunk—also called Kuilutamen, Quilutimunk, and Quelootama — was a village established by Teedyuscung in what is now Wyoming County, Pennsylvania in

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1932-407: Was divided into diamond-shaped panels in recognition of Wilkes-Barre's nickname as "The Diamond City," and decorated with multiple figures, including a female form representing Luzerne County (center panel), and panels representing Bradford, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties, the four political divisions in Pennsylvania from which lands were taken to form Luzerne County. Other sections of

1978-565: Was known as "King of the Delawares". He worked to establish a permanent Lenape (Delaware) home in eastern Pennsylvania in the Lehigh , Susquehanna , and Delaware River valleys. Teedyuscung participated in the Treaty of Easton , which resulted in the surrender of Lenape claims to all lands in Pennsylvania. Following the treaty, the Lenape were forced to live under the control of the Iroquois in

2024-701: Was my Land and Inheritance, and is taken from me by Fraud. At the 1758 negotiations for the Treaty of Easton , Teedyuscung claimed to represent the French allied Delaware Indians and the Six Nations of the Iroquois, the Shawnee , the Mahican , and the Christian Munsee . He sought a promise from the Pennsylvania government that the lands of the Wyoming Valley would be reserved for the displaced Indians of

2070-422: Was named; John Durkee, who laid out the town of Wilkes-Barre; Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf (1700-1760), a German religious and social reformer and bishop of the Moravian Church who helped Conrad Weiser negotiate agreements with the Iroquois in the Wyoming Valley; and Thomas Penn (1702-1775), a colonial governor of Pennsylvania. In addition, the foyer's ceiling, which was created by Arthur Brounet of New York,

2116-488: Was rededicated in late September 2009 during centennial celebrations that included a keynote address by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Max Baer and an audiovisual presentation by Anthony Brooks, president of the Luzerne County Historical Society , which provided attendees with an overview of the courthouse's construction. Multiple members of the county's judicial system were in attendance at

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