Visitor's Guide to the Supreme Court
       The Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the nation for all cases and controver-
sies arising under the Constitution or the laws of the United States.  The Court stands as
the final arbiter of the law and guardian of constitutional liberties.  Its charge, emblazoned
over the doors of this building, is to ensure ``equal justice under law.''
       The Supreme Court is ``distinctly American in concept and function,'' as Chief
Justice Charles Evans Hughes observed.  Few other courts in the world have the same
authority of constitutional interpretation and none have exercised it for as long or with as
much influence.
       This building, majestic in size and rich in ornamentation, serves as both home to the
Court and the manifest symbol of its importance as a coequal, independent branch of
government.
       It surprises many visitors to learn the Supreme Court was not provided with its own
building until 1935, the 146th year of its existence.  Until then, the Court had sat in various
locations, including in the U.S. Capitol.  Finally in 1929, Chief Justice William Howard
Taft, who had been President of the United States from 1909 to 1913, persuaded Congress
to authorize the construction of a permanent home for the Court.
       Architect Cass Gilbert designed the building in a classical Corinthian architectural
style to create harmony with nearby congressional buildings.  Its design details depict both
American and legal themes.  Some highlights include:
       *  The statues of seated figures on the sides of the front stairway, created by sculp-
tor James Earle Fraser.  On the left is a female figure, the Contemplation of Justice.  On
the right is a male figure, the Guardian or Authority of Law.
       *  An architrave above the 16 marble columns at the front entrance, on which is
inscribed the famous phrase ``Equal Justice Under Law.''
       *  The bronze doors at the West front entrance, each of which weighs six and one-
half tons.  The door panels, sculpted by John Donnelly, Jr., depict historic scenes in the
development of law.
       *  The grand corridor leading to the Courtroom, known as the Great Hall.  Busts of
all former Chief Justices are set alternately in niches and on marble pedestals along the
side walls.  The frieze is decorated with medallion profiles of lawgivers and heraldic
devices.*  The Court Chamber, measuring 82 by 91 feet and rising 44 feet to a coffered
ceiling.  It is flanked by 24 marble columns.  The raised Bench, behind which the Justices
sit during sessions, and other furniture in the Courtroom are mahogany.  Overhead, along
all four sides of the Chamber, are sculpted marble panels depicting legal themes and
famous lawgivers.
       *  The statue of John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice, located at the end of
the Lower Great Hall on the ground floor.  Sculpted by William Wetmore Story in 1883,
the statue stood on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol until 1981, when it was moved to the
Court. *  The two marble and bronze spiral staircases.  Each ascends five stories and is
supported only by the overlapping steps and their extensions into the wall.  Few others
exist in the world.



                           Listening to Oral Argument
       Beginning the first Monday in October, the Court hears up to four one-hour argu-
ments a day, three days a week, in two-week intervals, concluding the oral argument
portion of the Term in late April.  Oral arguments are conducted on Mondays, Tuesdays,
and Wednesdays, beginning at 10 a.m., and may continue until 2 or 3 p.m., with a one-hour
recess at noon.
       An oral argument usually lasts one hour, with an attorney for each side of a case
given 30 minutes to make a presentation to the Court and answer questions posed by the
Justices.
       Visitors are invited to attend oral arguments, but seating is limited and on a first-
come, first-seated basis.  Before a session begins, two lines form on the plaza in front of
the building.  One is for those who wish to attend an entire argument.  The other is a
three-minute line for those who wish to observe the Court in session for a brief time.  The
locations for these lines are marked with signs and there is a police officer on duty to
answer your questions.
       In mid-May, after the oral argument portion of the Term has concluded, the Court
takes the Bench Mondays at 10 a.m. for the release of orders and opinions.  This practice
continues until all the cases heard during the Term are decided, usually the last week in
June.  These sessions, which typically last between 15 and 30 minutes, are also open to the
public.  Copies of the Court's opinions are available from the Public Information Office on
the ground floor approximately 30 minutes after they are announced from the Bench.