US Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States has sat in the magnificent marble-faced Grecian temple just across the street from the Capitol Building since 1935. However, prior to then, the Supreme Court never had its own building, sitting in its own room inside the Capitol Building after 1819, and in various other locations before then including the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City and Independence Hall in Philadelphia when the Capital was located in New York and Philadelphia respectively during the earliest days of the American Republic. With the completion of the Supreme Court Building in 1935, the highest court in the land reaffirmed its independence as the judicial branch of the federal government, playing its distinct role in the system of checks and balances with the executive and the legislative branches.

• Learn the stories of the Supreme Court, its history, and the important decisions it makes
• Climb the front steps flanked by the statues of the Contemplation of Justice and the Guardian of Law
• See the beautiful self-supporting marble spiral staircase, ascending through five floors of the building

For more information, visit the official website at www.supremecourt.gov.