United States Supreme Court: Home to the ultimate judicial arbiters
The United States Supreme Court never fails to awe visitors, whether they come from across the world or across the street. Its marble Corinthian columns, giant presence and all that it stands for makes people hush with respect. It is, after all, within these walls that some of the greatest court cases of all time are battled out, decided and become the basis through which our country creates its legal rules of conduct.
Designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1935, the building is the home of the Court and as one of the three branches of the U.S. government -- the other two being the executive (the president and administration) and the legislative (the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives). The oval plaza in front of the building has fountains, benches and bronze flagpoles. At the base of each bronze flagpole are designs of the scale and sword, the book, the mask and torch, the pen and mace, and the four elements (air, earth, fire and water).
By the steps is a pair of marble candelabra with carved panels depicting swords and scales and the words “Justice”. Two marble figures are seated on either side of the main steps. One is the Contemplation of Justice, and the other is the Guardian of Law.
The west entrance (the main entrance) has three figures depicting Council and Research which were modeled after prominent individuals involved in the creation of the courthouse, including Chief Justice Taft, Secretary of State Elihu Root, and architect Cass Gilbert. On the east side, there are marble figures of Moses, Confucius and Solon.
Inside, the busts of all former Chief Justices sit along marble pedestals. The Court Chamber is 44-feet high with 24 columns made of marble from Liguria, Italy. In this room holds the famous raised bench where the Justices sit during sessions.
Lectures given by trained docents are available every hour for visitors when court is not in session, and will take place when court is adjourned. There is also a film introducing the Supreme Court to visitors, and various exhibitions on the history of the court, the Justices and the work. Currently, there is an exhibit highlighting the work of Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court. These exhibits are located on the ground floor. The main floor holds the Justices’ chambers, offices, conference rooms and the Robing room. Four courtyards surround the offices. The second floor holds more offices and the Justices’ Library Reading Room and Dining Room. The third floor is the library with more than 450,000 volumes.
You may visit the Court on a day of oral argument, which begin the first Monday in October at 10:00am and 11:00am and last an hour each. Visitors are permitted to view the oral arguments from the courtroom seats. Seating is open to the public but available on a first-come, first-served basis. Before the argument, each side will have already submitted a legal brief reviewed by the Justices. After argument, the Justices will convene behind closed doors to decide on the argument. Note that phones, pagers, cameras, recording devices are not permitted in the courtroom, and infants and small children may not be allowed either.
Posted by Rin-rin Yu
