MONTICELLO — With the nation’s 250th anniversary just days away, the Sullivan County Judiciary invited residents to pause and reflect on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence during a patriotic ceremony held July 2 inside the Lawrence H. Cooke Memorial Courthouse.

Originally scheduled for the courthouse lawn, the celebration was moved into Courtroom One because of extreme heat. The ceremony brought together judges, elected officials, veterans, law enforcement, Scouting America Troop 101 of Rock Hill, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Color Guard, members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 1544 and community residents.

Serving as master of ceremonies, Administrative Judge Hon. E. Danielle Jose-Decker said the Declaration of Independence was more than a historic document—it was a bold statement of universal principles backed by extraordinary personal sacrifice.

“We are here because 56 men—yes, at the time they were all men—in the sweltering summer heat of Philadelphia did something that most of us can barely imagine,” Jose-Decker said. “They sat together—lawyers, farmers, merchants, printers, fathers—and they put their names to a single page. Not a petition, not a request—a declaration.”

She reminded the audience that the signers pledged “their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” to principles they believed every person possessed simply by virtue of being human, adding that “signing that document was an act of treason under British law, punishable by death.”

The ceremony recognized veterans in attendance, with Jose-Decker thanking those who had carried forward the nation’s founding ideals through military service.

Family Court Judge Hon. Jacqueline Ricciani turned to the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, explaining that after declaring independence, the founders still had to persuade Americans that a government based on the rule of law could succeed where monarchy had failed.

Quoting Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist No. 78, Ricciani said an independent judiciary exists to “guard the Constitution and the rights of individuals” from “the arts of designing men” and the temporary passions that can sweep through society. She said Hamilton viewed judicial independence as essential because courts must remain accountable to the Constitution rather than shifting political pressure or popular opinion.

“The rule of law means that the law is applied consistently, regardless of who is in power, who is popular or who is seeking redress,” Ricciani said. “It means a constitutional right protects everyone—those who are unpopular just as much as those who are favored.”

Supreme Court Justice Hon. Meagan Galligan then read selected excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, including its opening declaration that “all men are created equal” and its closing pledge of “our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” She also highlighted many of the colonists’ grievances against King George III, describing accusations that the Crown had obstructed justice, undermined representative government, interfered with colonial self-government, elevated military authority over civil power and deprived colonists of fundamental legal protections.

County Court and Surrogate’s Court Judge Hon. James Farrell followed with historical commentary on the extraordinary risks accepted by the Declaration’s signers.

“As Benjamin Franklin famously remarked, ‘We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately,’” Farrell said.

He described the Declaration as “a bold assertion of self-government,” explaining that it proclaimed governments derive “their authority from the consent of the governed, not from the king.”

Farrell said the document rests on four enduring principles: natural rights, the social contract, the right of revolution and human equality. Together, he said, those ideas establish that people possess inherent rights, governments receive their authority from the people, citizens may replace governments that become destructive of those rights and that all people are created equal.

“Today, because of those enduring principles, we live in the most exceptional country in the world and the most exceptional country that the world has ever known,” Farrell said. “May God always bless the United States of America.”

Supreme Court Justice Hon. Stephan Schick concluded the formal program by honoring the late Stephen Lungen, the longtime Sullivan County district attorney and a Vietnam combat veteran.

Schick described Lungen as one of Sullivan County’s finest citizens, praising both his distinguished military service and his reputation as one of the county’s greatest trial lawyers and prosecutors.

“It is because of honorable people like Steve Lungen ... that our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution are still such a beacon of hope for everyone in the entire world,” Schick said.

Schick also reflected on the nation’s approaching semiquincentennial, noting that visitors traveling to the United States for the World Cup have been sharing positive impressions of the country online.

He said many have written about the warmth of the American people and even celebrated uniquely American experiences.

“We have every reason to feel wonderful and happy about our country,” Schick said. “And I know I do.”

Lori Orestano-James reminded attendees that Sullivan County has its own place in the nation’s founding story. She noted that Philip Livingston, the namesake of Livingston Manor, was one of New York’s signers of the Declaration of Independence. According to Orestano-James, Livingston was serving with the revolutionary cause when the Declaration was approved, and the document was later brought to him to sign rather than being signed in the famous gathering often depicted in paintings.

Orestano-James also spoke about Irving Berlin, who wrote “God Bless America” while staying in New York, then led attendees in the patriotic song.

Following the ceremony, several local officials reflected on what Independence Day means to them.

County Clerk Russell Reeves said the holiday reminds him of the courage and sacrifice of the nation’s founders.

“For me, I find it amazing that our forefathers had the courage and the strength and such sacrifice to take on freeing our country and leading the way for what our country is,” Reeves said. “To me, it’s an example of how wonderful our country is and how strong our forefathers were to have the Declaration of Independence, and we are the greatest country in the world.”

District Attorney Brian Conaty described the holiday as a celebration of “freedom, long-standing values” and a time when “everybody can come together and carry the tradition forward.”

Eileen Lungen, widow of Stephen Lungen, said the ceremony carried special meaning for her family.

“My husband was a Vietnam veteran, and he always was very proud of his service,” she said. “He always took care of veterans as much as he could in his private practice.”

As Sullivan County celebrated the nation’s 250th birthday, speakers throughout the ceremony returned repeatedly to the same message: that the Declaration of Independence was not only the nation’s founding document, but an enduring promise that each generation has the responsibility to preserve.