The building that houses the U.S. Supreme Court is officially called the Supreme Court Building. It stands at One First Street, NE, in Washington, D.C., directly across from the Capitol, and has been the Court’s permanent home since 1935.1Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court Building
The Marble Palace and the Temple of Justice
Two informal names have stuck over the years. “The Marble Palace” and “The Temple of Justice” both nod to the enormous amount of stone used in construction and to the gravity of what happens inside.2Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government. Supreme Court Building3Supreme Court of the United States. Building History4Supreme Court of the United States. Building Features
“The Highest Court in the Land”
The best-loved nickname belongs to a room most visitors never see. On the fifth floor, directly above the actual courtroom, sits a small basketball court used by staff. They call it “the highest court in the land.”2Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government. Supreme Court Building
Why the Court Didn’t Always Have a Name on a Building
For most of its history, the Supreme Court had no building at all. The justices first met in the Exchange Building in New York City, moved to Philadelphia in 1790, and worked out of Independence Hall and City Hall before the federal government relocated to Washington in 1800. Once in the capital, Congress simply lent the Court space inside the Capitol, and the justices bounced between at least half a dozen rooms over the next 135 years. They even met briefly in a private house after British troops burned the Capitol during the War of 1812.3Supreme Court of the United States. Building History
Chief Justice William Howard Taft pushed for a dedicated home. Construction began in 1932, the building was completed on April 4, 1935, and the Court held its first session there on October 7 of that year. Architect Cass Gilbert designed it in a Corinthian neoclassical style to harmonize with the surrounding congressional buildings, and the final cost came in just under $9.4 million.3Supreme Court of the United States. Building History5Architect of the Capitol. Supreme Court Building
The Phrases Carved Above the Doors
Two inscriptions get mistaken for names of the building itself. Above the main west entrance, the pediment reads “Equal Justice Under Law.” Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes and the Supreme Court Building Commission approved that wording in 1932, and no definitive original source for it has ever been identified.6Supreme Court of the United States. West Pediment The rear of the building carries a second inscription on the East Pediment: “Justice the Guardian of Liberty.” Sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil designed the pediment group, which centers on three figures representing foundational legal traditions: Moses, Confucius, and Solon.7Supreme Court of the United States. The East Pediment
The Statues at the Entrance
Two large seated marble figures by sculptor James Earle Fraser flank the main entrance steps and have names of their own. On the left is a female figure called the Contemplation of Justice. On the right is a male figure called the Authority of Law.4Supreme Court of the United States. Building Features Casual references sometimes swap “Authority of Law” for “Guardian of Liberty,” which confuses the statue’s title with the East Pediment inscription above the opposite side of the building. The statue is the Authority of Law; the inscription is Justice the Guardian of Liberty. They are not the same thing, and neither is the name of the building.