225th Anniversary Lancaster County Court

225th Anniversary celebration: October 31, 2016

The jury wheel was the method used to select jurors for over 150 years in Lancaster County. Although we are not sure when this particular jury wheel was made, we do know that as early as 1805 Pennsylvania enacted a law that required courts to begin using a wheel to select jurors. And, in Lancaster County, it wasn’t until January 1, 1976 that the jury wheel was replaced by a computer. Use of the jury wheel was strictly governed by Pa. law. Lists of jurors were initially cho...sen from tax rolls, and then from voter registration lists. The 2 jury commissioners and the sheriff randomly chose names from these lists, wrote the names on slips of paper, folded the pieces of paper (yes, the statute specifies that) and put the slips in the wheel. The wheel was then locked and sealed with wax seals until it was time to select jurors. Each commissioner and the sheriff had their own seal. If the wheel had only been sealed by one person, the jury array could be challenged in court. The wheel had to remain in the custody of the commissioners, and the key had to remain in the custody of the sheriff. If the sheriff was not available to help pull names from the wheel, the coroner could perform these duties. The Special Events/Fun Facts subcommittee is continuing to research the history of Lancaster County’s wheel. We have found a listing in the Commissioner’s Orders Paid book for October 1, 1805 that indicates that they paid a man named George Thomas 6 pounds to make 2 ticket wheels for the Grand and Pettit Jurors. It’s doubtful that our wheel is that old, but so far that is the only concrete information that we have found. We do think the stand may actually be older than the wheel itself, so perhaps our original wheel needed to be replaced at some point. See more

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2016 Courtwide Conference- Mark Dalton, Court Administrator; Amy Coleman, CWC co-chair; Erin Heiserman, CWC co-chair, and President Judge Reinaker

2016 Court of Common Pleas Judges

First Female Common Pleas Judge, The Honorable Louise G. Herr:

Lancaster County’s Third Courthouse, designed by Samuel Sloan, was begun in 1852 and completed in 1855. The original wooden statue on the copper-clad dome was later replaced by a metal casting. Both designs are unique in depicting Justice without a blindfold. Originally a lithograph, this drawing is reprinted from the combination Atlas and Map of Lancaster County, Everts and Stewart, 1875 for the Friends of the Lancaster County Library, 1779.

The Official Seal of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas - Anniversary Edition