The Chamber measures 82 by 91 feet, has a 44-foot ceiling, and includes 24 marble columns.
The Justices sit behind the raised bench at the end of the room.
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A decorative tile from the ceiling
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Since the majority of cases that reach the Supreme Court involve the review of a previous
decision there is no jury and no witnesses are heard. Attorneys on each side of a case
are allowed 30 minutes for their argument.
Landmark Cases:
Brown v. Board of Education
In 1953, almost 100 years after what has been called the most unjust decision the Supreme Court has rendered (in the Dred Scott case), the Court had what has been termed its "greatest moment."
At a time when the segregation of blacks was prevalent in society,
the case of Brown v. Board of Education sought to desegregate the country's
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The first case argued in this Chamber was
Douglas v. Willcuts on October 14, 1935.
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s public schools.
Chief Justice Earl Warren viewed legislation providing for "separate but equal" facilities for black schools as unconstitutional because black schools were not equal to white facilities. Warren believed the concept of segregation "rests upon a concept of the inherent inferiority of the colored race."
On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court unanimously overturned laws segregating public schools.
The decision was the first legal action taken against segregation in the United States,
and while the ruling had been carefully limited to the desegregation of public schools the
decision had a much broader impact. In the years that followed Brown v. Board of Education,
the civil rights movement would flourish, and segregation would be abolished in many areas
of public life.
