BRAD BUMSTED | Harrisburg BureauThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court charged taxpayers at least $147,000 for a multi-day celebration of its 300th birthday in Philadelphia, records show.
Preceded by a one-day session in the city, the May event was marked by catered luncheons and dinners. Justices stayed at a swank hotel, but the name of that hotel was redacted from records provided to LNP | LancasterOnline for security reasons, said court spokesperson Stacey Witalec.
The unredacted parts of the documents released by the court show that the cost of a room, plus parking and taxes, ran as high as $400 per night for Chief Justice Max Baer. Baer could not be reached for comment.
Taxpayers paid $48,387, including a $3,483 tip, for a banquet at the Logan Hotel Philadelphia, according to records. Witalec would not confirm or deny if that’s where the justices stayed.
A featured item was the “Logan Supreme Court cake” costing $1,500. Court officials say it was for 300 people who attended the dinner in honor of the court’s founding in 1722.
Also on the menu was shrimp cocktail, carved cedar roasted salmon, Angus beef meatballs, crab cakes with lump blue crab, Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, drunken chocolate pecan ice cream, with artisan cheese and charcuterie.
“It’s an example of tone deafness at a time people are struggling with inflation and the economy,” said Tim Potts, a leading opponent of the 2005 middle-of-the-night pay raise that legislators gave themselves before repealing it in the face of voter outrage. The raise was reinstated by the high court for judges.
Potts said he believes packaging the one-day court session with the symposium was “an attempt to legitimize the celebration.”
“There are a lot of anniversaries that aren’t recognized with celebrations,” Potts said.
The court’s administrative arm wouldn’t release the total amount spent on the events that occurred over three days starting May 18. It is difficult to get a clear picture of the costs because totals were redacted for some officials’ travel receipts, meaning the $147,000 figure cited here is likely a conservative estimate. Witalec said those redactions were intended to avoid duplication of expenses on reimbursements for the court session and the 300th anniversary.
Buffet tables by a Philadelphia caterer on two days of the symposium — for breakfast and lunch — cost $38,700 and $37,400 per day.
There was also the “American Breakfast Enhanced” at the Logan. The price was $47 per person. With taxes, fees and gratuities, and room rental, the cost was $1,976 for 25 people.
“It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money to basically go overboard in recognizing a historical date,” said Gene Stilp, a reformer who has a law degree but doesn’t practice in Pennsylvania. “It’s a matter of degree.”
Stilp, a frequent court critic, noted the courts “have their own rules. There isn’t much oversight.”
Continuing legal education
Some in the legal community argued the symposium panels offered quality commentary by legal experts from Pennsylvania and other states, as well as academics and practicing attorneys. The seminar was held at the National Constitution Center.
Deborah Gross, president and CEO of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a group promoting merit selection of judges, said of the symposium, “I think it was really good. The programming was phenomenal. They brought in speakers including the Ohio Supreme Court President Judge” and a Pennsylvania justice served on almost every panel.
Anthony Kennedy, a retired Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice, served on a panel via Zoom.
“I don’t know how much it cost,” said Gross, former chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She said she didn’t attend the banquet, other dinners or receptions. She attended a buffet lunch that provided a chance to talk to some justices.
Panel topics ranged from history of the court and its early decisions, to judicial federalism, and how state Supreme Courts decide cases.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Philadelphia bar kicked in a combined $50,000 to help defray costs of the event. That figure is over and above state costs, Witalec said. The state bar contributed $25,000, with Pennsylvania’s two largest county bar associations donating $12,500 each.
Lawyers and judges could pay to get Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits for attending in person or live streaming the events.
“In the past 20 years or so there’s been a push for greater legal education for judges,” said Bruce Antkowiak, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, speaking as an analyst not an attendee. An event like the symposium “gives judges perspective on issues. That has a value.”
“If you had the event in Honolulu, that would clearly be over the top,” said Antowiak. Regarding the Philadelphia event, “I think a lot of things in state government better fit my definition of a boondoggle,” Antkowiak said.
Security for judges
Redacting the names of hotels where justices stayed is a practice questioned by a leading transparency advocate.
“I’ve seen executive and legislative agencies withhold locations for events that have not yet occurred based on security concerns, but that kind of denial is more rare for events that are over,” said Melissa Melewsky, media law counselor for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. “Obviously I’m not advocating for releasing information that could harm judges, but there needs to be clarity in financial records and clear justification when information is withheld.”
But the redaction comes as security concerns for judges are heightened.
Witalec said a “surge in violent acts, and threats of violence, against members of the judiciary and their families, has greatly increased concerns about security.”
Asked to provide more information about threats to Pennsylvania judges, Witalec said, “yes. there have been threats against state court judges in the past year.” She said “no additional information can be provided.”
Venerable institution
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the oldest appellate court in North America, predating even the Supreme Court of the United States by nearly 70 years.
In a May news release touting the symposium, Baer said, “The history of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is etched into the fabric of not just our state, but our nation.
“The impact of the decisions made by jurists of this Court for three centuries have moved our democracy forward and impacted the lives of people from all corners of the state and helped to pave the way for the rule of law in Pennsylvania and the nation,” Baer said.
Bumsted is Harrisburg bureau chief for The Caucus, LNP Media Group's publication covering state government and politics.
