Appellate Arguments at Chester's Historic 1724 Courthouse

On September 15, 2026, the Pennsylvania Superior Court held a special session in the historic 1724 Courthouse, located in Chester City, Delaware County, the oldest municipal building in the United States that is still in use.  This marked the first time the Superior Court ever sat in this location and was the first appellate argument session since the Pennsylvania Supreme Court sat there for a special session in 1725.  The 1724 Courthouse served as the Chester County Courthouse (of which Chester City was part until 1789), then the Delaware County Courthouse until 1851, when the county built its current facility in Media; it was then sold to the City for use as Chester’s City Hall. 

(l to r) Superior Court Judges Brandon Neuman, Jill Beck, and President Judge Anne E. Lazarus

The session was planned by Judge Jill Beck, and panel members included President Judge Anne Lazarus and Judge Brandon Neuman.  In addition to hearing argument on a full slate of cases, the judges met with college students from Widener University and members of the Chester Charter Scholars Academy student council to discuss Pennsylvania’s judicial system and answer questions about arguments heard that day.  The judges also had the opportunity to ring the Courthouse bell—cast in 1729 and restored in 1920, this was the same bell that rang out in 1776 upon receiving the news of America’s independence.