Here are some fun facts about the Supreme Court that tend to surprise people: there is a full basketball court on the floor directly above the courtroom, the justices shake hands exactly 36 times before every conference, one former justice led the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie, and the Court did not get a building of its own until 146 years after it was created.
The Building and Its Secrets
The justices held their first session on February 1, 1790, in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. When the government moved to Washington, the Court moved into the basement of the U.S. Capitol in 1801 and stayed there for more than a century. A permanent home did not open until 1935.1Supreme Court of the United States. Building History
Chief Justice William Howard Taft is the reason the building exists. He convinced Congress to fund it, and architect Cass Gilbert designed it as a neoclassical Roman temple fronted by 16 Corinthian columns.2Architect of the Capitol. Supreme Court Building Congress authorized $9,740,000 for the project. It came in under budget at $9,395,566, and roughly $94,000 was returned to the Treasury after furnishings were purchased.1Supreme Court of the United States. Building History A federal construction project finishing under budget was unusual then and has not become more common since.
The most quoted feature of the building sits on the fifth floor. A full basketball court occupies the level above the fourth-floor courtroom, which is why it’s known as “the highest court in the land.” A sign near the entrance prohibits playing basketball or lifting weights while the Court is in session, so bouncing balls don’t filter down into oral arguments.
The courtroom itself is ringed with stone friezes depicting 18 historical lawgivers. The south wall shows figures including Hammurabi, Moses, Solomon, Confucius, and the Roman emperor Octavian. The north wall includes Justinian, Charlemagne, Blackstone, Napoleon, and the only American in the group, Chief Justice John Marshall.3Supreme Court of the United States. Courtroom Friezes: South and North Walls
Rituals the Justices Still Follow
Before every private conference and every public session, each of the nine justices shakes hands with each of the other eight. That works out to 36 handshakes. Chief Justice Melville Fuller started the practice in the late 1800s so his colleagues would remember that disagreeing on the law didn’t mean personal animosity, and the ritual has survived every change in membership since.4Supreme Court of the United States. Lighter Side of Life at the United States Supreme Court
Lawyers who argue before the Court find a pair of crossed white goose-quill pens waiting at each counsel table. Nobody writes with them. Most attorneys argue at the Court only once, and the quills go home as souvenirs.5Supreme Court of the United States. The Court and Its Traditions
The black robe is also a tradition with a story. The Court has worn black since at least 1800, but the earliest justices, including Chief Justice John Jay, wore robes faced with red, resembling those worn by English and colonial judges.5Supreme Court of the United States. The Court and Its Traditions Dropping the red was a deliberate move away from royal trappings toward a plainer, republican look.
The newest justice carries a few duties the others gladly hand off. Because no clerks or staff are allowed inside the private conference room, the junior justice answers the door whenever someone knocks, takes notes during deliberations, and serves on the committee that oversees the Court’s cafeteria. Every justice to hold the seat has described the door duty as a humbling assignment regardless of what they’d accomplished before joining the bench.
Firsts on the Bench
The Court was composed entirely of white men until 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall as the first African American justice. Marshall had already won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the Court, most famously Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down school segregation in 1954.6United States Courts. Justice Thurgood Marshall Profile
The first woman on the Court was Sandra Day O’Connor, nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to fulfill a campaign promise. The Senate confirmed her 99 to 0.7Supreme Court of the United States. Sandra Day O’Connor: First Woman on the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas became the second African American justice in 1991, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic justice, and Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the Court.
Record-Holders and Surprising Backgrounds
William Howard Taft is still the only person to have led both the executive and judicial branches. He was the 27th President before being appointed Chief Justice in 1921, and by his own telling he was far happier at the Court than in the White House. He died before the building he had championed opened in 1935.
William O. Douglas holds the longevity record, serving 36 years from 1939 until his retirement in 1975.8Supreme Court Historical Society. William O. Douglas, 1939-1975 On the other end sits John Rutledge, who served roughly 138 days as Chief Justice in 1795 on a recess appointment before the Senate rejected his confirmation. He remains the only sitting Chief Justice to be denied the seat permanently. The youngest justice ever appointed was Joseph Story, who joined in 1812 at age 32.9Justia. Justice Joseph Story
Byron White’s résumé is probably the most unexpected on the Court’s roster. Before his 1962 appointment, he played halfback for the Pittsburgh Pirates (later the Steelers) and led the NFL in rushing yards during his rookie season in 1938, the first rookie to do so. He fit a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford around his professional football career and eventually earned his law degree.
The Scalia-Ginsburg Friendship
Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat at opposite ends of the Court ideologically and were close personal friends. They bonded over opera, good food, and their shared New York childhoods. Their families spent New Year’s Eve together for years, with meals cooked by Marty Ginsburg. Scalia sent Ginsburg two dozen roses every year for her birthday. When a former clerk pointed out that the roses had never won him her vote in a close case, Scalia replied, “Some things are more important than votes.”
How Cases Actually Get Heard
The Court receives somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 petitions each term and takes roughly 80 for full briefing and oral argument. Selection runs on the Rule of Four: at least four justices must agree to hear a case. The thousands of denials are not rulings on the merits, just decisions that the issue doesn’t warrant the Court’s limited time.10United States Courts. Supreme Court Procedures
Litigants who cannot afford filing fees can petition in forma pauperis, Latin for “in the manner of a pauper.” It requires a notarized affidavit showing financial need. If the Court accepts the motion, the case proceeds without fees, though the Court can still reject a petition it finds frivolous.11Legal Information Institute. Rule 39 – Proceedings In Forma Pauperis
At oral argument, each side typically gets 30 minutes. Arguments are open to the public, and a pilot program currently lets members of the public apply for courtroom seats through an online lottery.12Supreme Court of the United States. Visitor’s Guide to Oral Argument Members of the Supreme Court Bar can attend any argument on a first-come, first-seated basis in professional business attire with photo ID. If the Bar section fills, latecomers are routed to a lawyers’ lounge with a loudspeaker.
The Ethics Code Gap That Closed in 2023
Lower federal judges have been bound by a written ethics code since 1973. The Supreme Court itself had none for most of its existence. That changed on November 13, 2023, when the Court adopted its first formal Code of Conduct, covering outside influence, conflicts of interest, and the duty to recuse.13Supreme Court of the United States. Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States A justice must step aside when they or a close family member has a financial interest in a case, when they previously served as a lawyer or witness in the matter, or when a reasonable person might question their impartiality. The code also bars justices from joining organizations that discriminate based on race, sex, religion, or national origin, and it requires them to stay informed about the finances of spouses and minor children living in their household.