West Chester-The Pillars of the Court House

by Judy Wolinsky

Title

West Chester-The Pillars of the Court House

Artist

Judy Wolinsky

Medium

Photograph - Photography / Digital Art

Description

West Chester-The Pillars of the Court House is the scene you will see as you travel up High Street into the borough of West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Court House was built in 1846. It was designed by Thomas U. Walter, the same person who designed the dome of the US Capital. Two other additions were built, one in 1893 and the other 1966. The Court House became the center of a controversy in 2002 when Sally Flynn who represented the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia filed a complaint regarding the display of a plaque which had the Ten Commandments imprinted. The complaint claimed it was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion". The court decided the plaque was to be removed. The county filed an appeal and as a result of this appeal the courts decided to let the plaque stay but it had to be covered with a cloth that matched the stone of the building. The county did not give up. They filed another appeal which was reviewed by the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit which reversed the original order and re-allowed the plaque to be displayed.

Uploaded

April 20th, 2021

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