ABSTRACT
It stands majestic—four stories tall, longer and wider than a football field, and built almost entirely of gleaming marble from three continents. Huge statues guard the stairs leading to its main entrance—on the left, a female holding a book of laws and a small set of scales (the Contemplation of Justice); on the right, a male with a tablet of laws and a sheathed sword (the Authority of Law). At the top of the stairs, 16 Greek Corinthian columns support the pediment. “Equal Justice Under Law” is inscribed on the architrave. Capping this entrance is a sculpture group of six figures representing liberty, order, and authority. Bronze doors weighing six and a half tons allow entry into the main corridor, known as the “Great Hall,” on either side of which are double rows of columns rising high to a coffered ceiling. At the Great Hall’s east end, oak doors open into the “Court Chamber.” The area of this room is over 7,500 square feet, and has a ceiling that rises 44 feet above the floor. It is a study in marble and mahogany. Twenty-four marble columns stand inside. The Chamber’s walls are marble and covered with friezes, and there are marble borders along the floor. The raised bench—which is the room’s focal point—and the other furniture are mahogany. The room, like the building itself, is opulent, designed to communicate gravity, stature, and prestige. This “Marble Palace” is the structural equivalent of the “cult of the robe” and supports the “myth of legality.”
