![]() ![]() When it is their turn to argue, they address the Bench from the lectern in the center. The attorneys arguing cases before the Court occupy the tables in front of the Bench. The Marshal’s responsibilities include the maintenance and security of the building and serving as the Court’s building manager. The Marshal is the timekeeper of Court sessions, signalling the lawyer by white and red lights as to time limits. To the right is the desk of the Marshal of the Court. The Clerk is responsible for the administration of the Court’s dockets and argument calendars, the supervision of the admission of attorneys to the Supreme Court Bar, and other related activities. The Bench was altered in 1972 from a straight-line to a "winged" shape to provide sight and sound advantages over the original design.Īt the left of the Bench is the Clerk of the Court’s desk. The raised Bench behind which the Justices sit during sessions, and other furniture in the Courtroom are mahogany. Its 24 columns are Old Convent Quarry Siena marble from Liguria, Italy its walls and friezes are of Ivory Vein marble from Alicante, Spain and its floor borders are Italian and Algerian marble. This dignified room measures 82 by 91 feet and has a 44–foot ceiling. The frieze is decorated with medallion profiles of lawgivers and heraldic devices.Īt the east end of the Great Hall, oak doors open into the Court Chamber. ![]() Busts of all former Chief Justices are set alternately in niches and on marble pedestals along the side walls. At each side, double rows of monolithic marble columns rise to a coffered ceiling. The main corridor is known as the Great Hall. The monumental bronze doors at the top of the front steps weighs six and one-half tons each and slide into a wall recess when opened. The door panels, sculpted by John Donnelly, Jr., depict historic scenes in the development of law: the trial scene from the shield of Achilles, as described in the Iliad a Roman praetor publishing an edict Julian and a pupil Justinian publishing the Corpus Juris King John sealing the Magna Carta the Chancellor publishing the first Statute of Westminster Lord Coke barring King James from sitting as a Judge and Chief Justice Marshall and Justice Story. The architrave bears the legend: "Justice the Guardian of Liberty." MacNeil, and the marble figures represent great lawgivers, Moses, Confucius, and Solon, flanked by symbolic groups representing Means of Enforcing the Law, Tempering Justice with Mercy, Settlement of Disputes Between States, and Maritime and other functions of the Supreme Court. Too often, visitors do not see the corresponding pediment and columns on the east side. Seated on the right are Chief Justice Hughes, the sculptor Aitken, and Chief Justice Marshall as a young man. At the left are Chief Justice Taft as a youth, Secretary of State Elihu Root, and the architect Cass Gilbert. On either side are groups of three figures depicting Council and Research which Aitken modeled after several prominent individuals concerned with the law or the creation of the Supreme Court Building. On the architrave above is incised "Equal Justice Under Law." Capping the entrance is a sculptured group by Robert Aitken, representing Liberty Enthroned guarded by Order and Authority. Sixteen marble columns at the main west entrance support the pediment. On the right is a male figure, the Guardian or Authority of Law. On the left is a female figure, the Contemplation of Justice. ![]() ![]() These large statues are the work of sculptor James Earle Fraser. On either side of the main steps are seated marble figures. The bronze flagpole bases are crested with symbolic designs of the scales and sword, the book, the mask and torch, the pen and mace, and the four elements: air, earth, fire, and water. On either side of the plaza are fountains, flagpoles, and benches. Flanking these steps is a pair of marble candelabra with carved panels on their square bases depicting: Justice, holding sword and scales, and The Three Fates, weaving the thread of life. A few low steps lead up to the 252-foot-wide oval plaza in front of the building. The main entrance to the Supreme Court Building is on the west side, facing the United States Capitol. Supreme Court Building Highlights Brochure (pdf) Self-Guide to the Building’s Interior Architecture (pdf) Self-Guide to the Building’s Exterior Architecture (pdf) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |