Law Day 2015 at the Old Chester Court House

Left Chester High School Juniors Lakenya Johnson and Shamour Young; Center Mayor Linder; Right Chester High School Juniors Jessica Vega and Nasheed McCaskill

The Delaware County Bar Association and the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas presented the annual Law Day Exercises on Friday, May 1^st, 2015 at the historic 1724 Old Court House in Chester, Pennsylvania. The theme this year was “Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under the Law.” Presiding was the Hon. Nathaniel C. Nichols of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas with several Delaware County judges.

Presenting Counsels new to the Law Day program were students from Chester High School Youth Court, LaKenya Johnson, and Nasheed McCaskill, Jessica Vega, and Shamour Young; Also arguing the case, returning students from S.T.E.M, Bonner, and Christian Academy Briyanna Williams, Jamie McDowell, Ciani Hodges, and Ahmad Williams.

The Moot Court Argument presented by students, “Does a conviction of the crime     of interstate communication of a threat to injure another require proof of a defendant’s subjective intent to threaten another person?” In the recent case of Elonis v. United States argued before United States Supreme Court Dec. 14, 2014. Anthony Elonis was convicted and sentenced to 44 months in prison for threatening the local law enforcement, his estranged wife, an FBI agent, and a kindergarten class through Facebook. He posted explicit rap lyric that were threatening in nature. “This is the first time the Court had heard a case considering true threats and the limits of speech on social media.” Was this free speech or intent to threaten? 

The high school students presented very strong arguments to the judges in the old historic court house that was used by William Penn. Preparing students for Law Day were Andre L. Smith, Assoc. Prof., Widener University – Delaware School of Law, Stephon Young and Taylor Fullman, E. Wallace Chadwick Memorial Fund Constitutional Fellows; The Trustees of the E. Wallace Chadwick Foundation who have supplied the financial commitment to the Constitution Works Program which underwrites the Moot Court Argument at the Chester Law Day Program; The cooperation of the Chester Community Improvement Project, Executive Director Annette Pyatt, Romaine Smoak-Whitaker formerly of Widener Law, and City of Chester Mayor, John A. Linder.

 Video History of the Old Chester Court House