Pennsylvania has the oldest supreme court in the United States and all of North America, at 300 years. Founded in 1722, it predates the Supreme Court of the United States by nearly 70 years.
Such longevity for a crucial democratic institution is well worth celebrating, as the court did in Philadelphia in May. But it’s worth celebrating in accordance with a crucial principle of democratic governance — transparency.
The court conducted a one-day session in Philadelphia in May and followed it up with several days of commemorative, educational and social events, including a scholarly symposium at the National Constitutional Center that included retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
But when Lancaster Online sought financial records for the various events, it received only partial answers. It verified $147,000 in expenses and some details, including a $1,500 cake as part of a $48,387 banquet at Logan Hotel Philadelphia, and room charges for Chief Justice Max Baer of about $400 a night at an undisclosed location, but the court’s administrative office redacted some information. So the $147,000 is a minimum figure.
LNP also confirmed that the state bar association contributed $25,000 to the observance and that bar associations in Philadelphia and Allegheny County contributed $12,500 each.
Whether the court should have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the observance is debatable. Long-time good-government activist Tim Potts, for example, said the event was “tone-deaf,” given high inflation and other economic aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is no doubt, however, that the court should be transparent about its use of public money. A court spokeswoman cited security concerns for the redaction, and that would be understandable if someone sought details about the justices’ lodging prior to the event. But the Lancaster Online inquiries were about an event that already has occurred.
As part of its anniversary observance, the court should honor the principle and tradition of transparency in Democratic governance by eliminating the redactions. Baer should make it so.
— Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice via AP
