Basic Information

The architect Cass Gilbert had grand ambitions for his design of a new home for the Supreme Court--what he called "the greatest tribunal in the world, one of the three great elements of our national government." Gilbert knew that the approach to the Court, as much as the structure itself, would define the experience of the building, but the site presented a challenge. Other exalted Washington edifices--the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial--inspired awe with their processional approaches. But in 1928 Congress had designated for the Court a cramped and asymmetrical plot of land, wedged tightly between the Capitol and the Library of Congress. How could Gilbert convey to visitors the magnitude and importance of the judicial process taking place within the Court's walls?
The answer, he decided, was steps. Gilbert pushed back the wings of the building, so that the public face of the building would be a portico with a massive imposing stairway. Visitors would not have to walk a long distance to enter, but few would forget the experience of mounting those forty-four steps to the double row of eight massive columns supporting the roof. The walk up the stairs would be the central symbolic experience of the Supreme Court, a physical manifestation of the American march to justice. The stairs separated the Court from the everyday world--and especially from the earthly concerns of the politicians in the Capitol-- and announced that the justices would operate, literally, on a higher plane. (Toobin, Jeffrey. The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. New York: Anchor Books, 2008.)

Friday, May 14, 2010

A little bit about me

Since a blog is supposed to be more opinionated I am going to talk about my future aspirations and why I am so intersted on this subject. I have high hopes of becoming a supreme court justice. I know it is hard to attain however I strive to be the greatest. Before so, I plan to go to law school and become a corporate attorney. I have been passionate about this since I was about seven years old. At school I have taken every class available to do with law. I have competed within debate since my freshman year and I have participated in a mock trial. One of my favorite documents is the Constitution. I took a class devoted to the teachings of this document. I am currently reading The Federalist which is closely related to the very constitution that our country with holds today.

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