United States Supreme Court Building

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Supreme Court Building
The facade of the Supreme Court Building after the renovation

The facade of the Supreme Court Building after the renovation

Data
place 1 First Street, Washington, DC
architect Cass Gilbert
Construction year 1935
height 28 m
Coordinates 38 ° 53 '26.6 "  N , 77 ° 0' 16"  W Coordinates: 38 ° 53 '26.6 "  N , 77 ° 0' 16"  W.

The Supreme Court Building is the seat of the United States Supreme Court and is located in Washington, DC at 1 First Street, NE, one block east of the Capitol . The building is under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol . In 1987 the Supreme Court Building was named a National Historic Landmark .

history

Before Washington, DC was established as the capital, the United States government resided briefly in New York City , New York . There the Supreme Court met in the Merchants' Exchange Building. When Philadelphia became the capital in 1790, the court moved there first to Independence Hall and a little later (1791) to Old City Hall.

Supreme Court Building, circa 1935

After the United States government had settled in Washington, the court met there from 1800 in a small basement room in the United States Capitol . It stayed here until 1935, with the exception of the period from 1812 to 1819, when the court had to leave Washington, DC as a result of the British invasion and the destruction of the Capitol in the British-American War .

In 1810 the Supreme Court first moved into the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the Capitol. After the Senate was enlarged , its premises gradually became too small. In 1860 the court moved to the Old Senate Chamber , as the hall was now called. He stayed here until he moved to the current building. In 1929, Chief Justice William Howard Taft successfully argued for a spatial separation of Congress and the Supreme Court, since the latter is an independent branch of government.

The United States Supreme Court Building became a National Historic Landmark on May 4, 1987.

Temple of Justice

Equal Justice Under Law on the west facade
Justice the Guardian of Liberty on the east facade
Interior view of the Supreme Court courtroom

The Supreme Court Building was designed by architect Cass Gilbert . It is 28 meters high and has 5 stories above the ground. The foundation stone was laid on October 13, 1932 and the entire building was completed in 1935. Construction costs were $ 9.74 million, $ 94,000 below budget.

The exterior of the building is made of marble quarried in Vermont and the gated courtyards are made of Georgia marble. Most of the interiors are lined with Alabama marble, with the exception of the courtroom, which is made of Spanish marble. Gilbert considered the marble from the Montarrenti quarries near Siena , Italy, to be considered for the 24 pillars of the courtroom . Therefore, in May 1933, he asked the Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini for help so that the marble would also be delivered in the quality that had been presented as the official sample.

Not all judges were enthusiastic about the new space, especially the courtroom; they thought it was too pompous and inappropriate.

The west facade of the building, the front of the court opposite the Capitol, bears the words "Equal Justice Under Law", while on the back the words "Justice the Guardian of Liberty" can be read.

The Supreme Court Building includes:

  • In the basement: maintenance facilities, garage, post office.
  • On the ground floor: information office, business office, press office, exhibition halls, cafeteria, souvenir shop and administrative offices.
  • On the first floor: Great hall, conference room, all judges' offices with the exception of Judge Ginsburg's office , who chose a more spacious office on the second floor.
  • On the second floor: Judge Ginsburg's office, the United States Supreme Court Reporter's Office , the law firm, and the law enforcement officers' offices. The judges' dining and reading rooms are also located on this floor.
  • On the third floor: the court library
  • On the fourth floor: gym, including basketball court nicknamed " Highest Court in the Land "

The building also houses the Supreme Court Police . This department is independent from the Capitol Police and was founded in 1935 to protect the building and its staff.

Artistic equipment

Contemplation of Justice
Authority of Law

Cass Gilbert's design for the building and its surroundings included a large number and variety of real and allegorical figures.

Visit to the courtroom

All visitors to the court have to pass through a metal detector and any pockets are screened. Cameras are generally permitted in the building, but all recording devices for sound and image recordings are prohibited in the courtroom. When the court is not in session, visitors can enter the Great Hall and public areas on the ground floor, including the cafeteria and a small cinema showing a documentary about the history of the court. Guided tours of the courtroom, which is otherwise not accessible, are offered on a regular basis. There is a designated area for this next to the doors of the courtroom.

When the court is in session, the building is not open to the public. The hearings take place every two weeks from the beginning of October to the end of April. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays there is a one-hour hearing at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. If necessary, meetings can also be held in the afternoon. The dates of the meetings are published on the court's website. Interested visitors will receive numbered tickets in the court office, but these only serve as placeholders and do not guarantee access. The courtroom offers space for 250 spectators, but since larger groups of students or officials often take part in practice and many visitors to the first hearing do not leave the room, the seats for the second hearing are very limited. Just before the first hearing, the inspectors split the crowd into two rows. One for visitors with a ticket who want to attend the entire hearing and a row for visitors who are each allowed to stand at the back for five minutes. Visitors must rise when the judges enter or leave the courtroom and remain absolutely calm. Sleepy, loud or otherwise annoying visitors will be removed immediately by plainclothes officers.

Web links

Commons : United States Supreme Court Building  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Overview of the Supreme Court Building . United States Supreme Court . Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  2. ^ William H. Rehnquist : The Supreme Court , 2nd. Edition, Vintage Books (Random House, Inc), 1987, 2001, ISBN 0-375-70861-8 , p. 24.
  3. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: District of Columbia. National Park Service , accessed July 19, 2019.
  4. ^ Study for Woolworth Building, New York . December 10, 1910. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  5. ↑ Christopher Tomlins: The United States Supreme Court: The Pursuit of Justice , 1st. Edition, Houghton Mifflin , 2005, ISBN 0-618-32969-2 .
  6. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/politics/politicsspecial1/31roberts.html?pagewanted=all
  7. ^ The Highest Court of the Land , in: Atlas Obscura .
  8. ↑ a b http://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/visitorservices.aspx
  9. ↑ a b http://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/visitorsguidetooralargument.aspx
  10. ↑ http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx