Press release courtesy of N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The gavel will fall to call court into session in the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse when the Supreme Court hears two cases on the morning of May 9. Two sessions will be held in observance of the 250th anniversary of the historic courthouse.

"We are so honored that the Supreme Court has chosen to recognize the significance of our historic courthouse and will hold sessions here," Historic Edenton Site Manager Bob Hopkins explained. "The 1767 Chowan County Courthouse is proud to be one of only two places the Supreme Court holds sessions away from Raleigh."

Both sessions of the court will be open to the public. Due to limited seating, admission to these sessions of the court is by ticket only. Tickets are free of charge and available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call Historic Edenton at (252) 482-2637 for tickets. Oral argument of the first case on Tuesday will be streamed live via WRAL.com of Raleigh. Read more about the Supreme Court.

The Chowan County Courthouse was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1970 and its classic Georgian style architecture is the finest of its kind in the South. The courthouse remains a key attraction of Historic Edenton State Historic Site.

One of the more interesting early cases at the courthouse happened in 1867, its centennial year. The case was around the will of James Cathcart Johnston and Hayes Plantation. Even in the depths of the post-Civil War economy, the plantation was valued at one-half million dollars. The will became a court case when Johnston left the estate not to family, but to three close friends. Luminaries of the state bar and former governors were participants in the trial. Perhaps the most noteworthy debates prior to that were in 1861 around secession from the United States.

The Supreme Court is the court of last appeal in the state and considers whether an error occurred in prior court proceedings. There is no jury and the ruling is made by the chief justice and six associate justices. The May 9 cases are Wray v the City of Greensboro, involving former police chief David Wray seeking to recover employee benefits. The other case is State v Mario Andrette McNeill, seeking to overturn his convictions in the death of a 5-year-old child. Chief Justice Mark Martin will preside over oral arguments, joined by the six associate justices.

For additional information about the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, please call (252) 482-2637. Historic Edenton was the state's first colonial capitol and a chief political, cultural and commercial center in the new nation. Historic Edenton, including the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, James Iredell Homestead and 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse, are within the Division of State Historic Sites and of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Historic Edenton's Visitor Center is located at 108 N. Broad Street, Edenton, N.C.