The milestone visit comes ten years after the dedication of the Center by Chief Justice Roberts’s immediate predecessor, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. The Chief Justice’s address from the front porch of the Jackson Center will be open to the public.

An audience of more than 2,000 is expected to attend, including federal and state judges from across New York State, as well as judiciary from Pennsylvania. Several hundred area students will also be among the onlookers.

In addition, several local, state and federally elected officials will be in attendance, including former Chautauqua County Congressman Brian Higgins.  During a private luncheon at the Jackson, Higgins will  present the Jackson Center enter with an official, signed copy of the House of Representatives’ bill naming Western New York’s federal courthouse for Robert H. Jackson.

Dozens of media representatives will also be in attendance, including regional NPR station WBFO and national Cable television station C-SPAN – which will have its bus parked near the Jackson Center and open for tours from the public.

The Robert H. Jackson Center advances the ideals of the late Justice Robert H. Jackson, a leading advocate of American democracy and justice, who served on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1941 to 1954. Jackson was the architect of the Nuremberg Trials following World War II.  Jackson was raised in Frewsburg and practiced law in Buffalo and Jamestown.

Today’s public portion of the Chief Justice’s visit begins at 10 a.m.

The visit by the Chief Justice comes ten years after the dedication of the Robert H. Jackson Center by Justice Roberts’s immediate predecessor, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.  Chief Justice Roberts will be delivering a speech from the center’s front porch on 4^th Street, and the address will be open to the public.

Chief Justice Roberts was born in Buffalo, New York in 1955, the son of Rosemary and John Glover “Jack” Roberts, Sr. His father was a plant manager with Bethlehem Steel. The future Chief Justice lived in Buffalo until he was in fourth grade.

Jackson Center founder and board member Greg Peterson calls Roberts’ visit an important milestone for the Jackson Center, saying it demonstrates not only the Center’s past successes in preserving Justice Jackson’s legacy, but also the continuing role of the Jackson Center in teaching the lessons of Justice Jackson’s life and work to future generations

In Conjunction with the appearance by the Chief Justice, the C-SPAN Bus will be parked outside the Robert H. Jackson Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Educators, students and community members attending the event are welcome to board the bus, which is equipped with touchscreen computers that demonstrate the multimedia resources C-SPAN provides and helps students understand how the media affect political viewpoints in America.