A ceremony was held Wednesday at the Pittsylvania County Courthouse to celebrate the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating the 1879 arrest of Pittsylvania County Judge James Coles on charges he refused to seat black men on juries. Coles and the Commonwealth of Virginia petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for his release, arguing that Congress had no authority to regulate state juries. The Court ruled the 14th amendment empowered Congress to enforce the right of black citizens to serve on juries.