WEST CHESTER, PA -- John Reed, a Maryland man, becomes ensnared by a web of legal entanglements as he tries to assert his rights as a man emancipated from slavery. When Reed kills one of his alleged captors, he is brought to trial in none other than our own Chester County Court to decide the issues of his guilt or innocence. Was he slave or free? Person or property? Could a person of color receive a fair trial in Chester County in 1821?

Commonwealth vs. John Reed, an extraordinary case originally held in Chester County, will be reenacted on September 28, 2004, at the Chester County Courthouse, Historic Courtroom 1, during the Meet Your Judges Program, to be held from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The event is free and open to the public. Students from elementary school through university level, civic and municipal groups are all encouraged to attend.

The Meet Your Judges program is a dynamic and innovative program that allows the audience to get up close and personal with the judiciary and legal community to learn about the inner workings of the Courtroom and the judiciary’s role in society through mock trial, panel discussions, or dramas based on real court transcripts.

This biennial program has met with great success. Over 960 County residents attended the last program in 2002. This year, the emphasis is on race and the Constitution in Chester County.

The Meet Your Judges Program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, the Chester County Bar Association, the League of Women Voters of Chester County, the American Association of University Women, EcountyInfo.com, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the American Bar Association Division for Public Education, and LEAP-Kids.

More information is available online at www.chesco.org/meetyourjudges.

Contact: Maureen Doran
Secretary to the Hon. Juan R. Sanchez
Phone: 610-344-6184