Architect Cass Gilbert is often praised for pioneering the skyscraper, yet he looked back to ancient Rome when he designed the U.S. Supreme Court Building. The Neoclassical style was chosen to reflect democratic ideals. Its sculpted pediments tell allegories of justice and mercy. Ironically, Gilbert's friendship with Mussolini helped him obtain the marble used for the interior columns.

The US Supreme Court Building was the last project of Cass Gilbert's career, and was a team effort by members of his firm. Gilbert died in 1934, one year before the Building was completed.

West Side

The main entrance is on the west, facing the Capitol building. Sixteen marble Corinthian columns support the pediment. Along the architrave (the molding just above the columns) are the engraved words, "Equal Justice Under Law."

US Supreme Court building, west side
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In the western pediment, sculptures by Robert Aitken represent Liberty seated in a throne and guarded by figures who represent Order and Authority. Although these sculptures are metaphorical figures, they were carved in the likeness of real people. Chief Justice Hughes, the sculptor Aitken, and Chief Justice Marshall as a young man sit on the right. Chief Justice Taft as a youth, Secretary of State Elihu Root, and the architect Cass Gilbert sit on the left.

West Pediment of the US Supreme Court Building
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East Side

Tourists don't often see the back, east side, of the Supreme Court building. On this side, the words "Justice the Guardian of Liberty" are carved in the architrave above the columns. The sculptures in the pediment, carved by Herman A. McNeil, represent three great lawmakers: Moses, Confucius, and Solon. These figures are flanked by figures that symbolize Means of Enforcing the Law, Tempering Justice with Mercy, Carrying on Civilization, and Settlement of Disputes Between States.

Rear (eastern) side of the U.S. Supreme Court Building
Library of Congress image thc 5a47955 by Theodor Horydczak

Herman A. MacNeil's pediment carvings have stirred controversy because the central figures were drawn from religious traditions. However, in the 1930s, the Supreme Court Building Commission did not question the wisdom of placing Moses, Confucius, and Solon on a secular government building. Rather, they trusted in the architect, who deferred to the artistry of the sculptor, Herman A. MacNeil.

MacNeil did not intend his sculptures to have religious connotations. Explaining his work, MacNeil wrote, "Law as an element of civilization was normally and naturally derived or inherited in this country from former civilizations. The 'Eastern Pediment' of the Supreme Court Building suggests therefore the treatment of such fundamental laws and precepts as are derived from the East."

More Information

• Biography of Cass Gilbert
• Neoclassical Architecture
• History of the US Supreme Court
• Facts About the Supreme Court Building (pdf file)

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