The Charlestown Division of Boston Municipal Court was pleased and honored to host a Bicentennial Celebration on October 28.
They were joined by approximately fifty 6th grade students from the Harvard Kent Elementary School, who toured the Courthouse and participated in a ceremony honoring the Bicentennial of the Municipal Court.
Three students were selected for their winning entries in an essay competition “What does the Law mean to Me ?” and awarded with a citation and a copy of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
First Justice Lisa Grant made remarks honoring the Honorable George Lewis Ruffin, former First Justice of the Charlestown Division in 1883 and the first African-American person to be appointed to the Judiciary in Massachusetts.
Special guests Massachusetts State Representative Daniel J. Ryan and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden also addressed the audience. Representative Ryan presented the Court with a citation commemorating the Bicentennial.
Closing remarks were made by the Honorable Robert Ronquillo Jr., Chief Justice of the Boston Municipal Court.