Mt. Vernon courthouse is 150

Part of the celebration this month of the 150th anniversary of the 5th District Appellate Courthouse in Mt. Vernon includes the unveiling of a nine-foot bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Related events, co-sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association, on Thursday, Sept. 18, include a 10 a.m. panel discussion about Lincoln the Lawyer (see page 1), followed by luncheon in the courthouse.

Members of the ISBA Lincoln Bicentennial Committee will gather for lunch at St. Mary’s and convene afterward for discussion of related activities.

Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court will be present to sit in formal session from 1 to 3 p.m. and hear arguments in the appeals of two cases.

At 3:30 p.m. the dedication ceremony for the Lincoln statue created by Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill will begin. Chief Judge Bruce D. Stewart of the 5th District Appellate Court will introduce fellow judges and provide opening remarks.

Other speakers include ISBA President Jack C. Carey of Belleville, Second Vice President Mark D. Hassakis of Mt. Vernon, and Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald of the Supreme Court.

At 4:30 p.m., a reception for jurists of the Supreme and Appellate Courts will be held in the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts.