bjbjLULU MATT HOFSTEDT, ASSOCIATE CURATOR,
SUPREME COURT: This is part of the architectural plan to try to make the appearance of the
court feel monumental and to give the sense that there's important things happening in
this building. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're in the Great Hall of the
Supreme Court, about to enter the most important courtroom of the land. The Supreme Court's
impact is almost immeasurable. Few ever have the chance to get behind the scenes of this
iconic building. Only two pictures exist of the court actually in session, and those cameras
were smuggled in, in the 1930s. But on the 75th anniversary of the high court's home,
we gained rare access to this place. (on camera) It's sure to surprise many people that this
building, actually, the permanent home of the Supreme Court, is only 75 years old, which
is kind of young in relative terms to many of the buildings here in Washington. CATHERINE
FITTS, CURATOR, SUPREME COURT: Right, exactly. And that was one of the tasks that was assigned
to the architects. They wanted to make sure that this building blended in with the Library
of Congress next door and also with the Capitol. BOLDUAN (voice-over): For almost 150 years
the Supreme Court was basically homeless. The court met in New York City, Philadelphia,
and then the old Senate chamber in Washington. Not until 1929 did then Chief Justice William
Howard Taft finally convince Congress to fund construction of a permanent home. The building
opened in 1935. Catherine Fitts is the head curator here. FITTS: Marble is most definitely
the predominant material that's used. In fact, the original $9.7 million, they spent about
$3.5 million just on the marble alone. The design for the building is a Greco-Roman temple,
kind of a temple of justice. BOLDUAN: The high court's associate curator, Matt Hofstedt,
then took us to the court's law library, an historic place where justices have long visited
to consult the wisdom of justices past in the library's 600,000 volumes. HOFSTEDT: The
library is a very vibrant part of what the court does, because you needs that sort of
scholarly input in the opinion- writing process. BOLDUAN: Now with the ease of the Internet,
the library isn't used nearly as much, but this room is a different story. It can never
be replaced, the courtroom where historic cases such as "Brown v. Board of Education,"
integrating public schools, "Bush v. Gore" and many more have all been decided. UNIDENTIFIED
MALE: Oh, yea, oh, yea... BOLDUAN: And the courtroom and tradition and even furniture
has gone virtually unchanged since the first case was heard. HOFSTEDT: Some of the traditions
you'll see here in the courtroom are the three justices coming out in three groups from behind
the red curtains. And some of the other traditions are, to this day, the court still puts quill
pens at the desks of the attorneys who will be arguing before the court. Sort of a throwback
to the John Marshall years. BOLDUAN: Still, the justices are notoriously camera shy, and
much of the government building, like their chambers, remains off limits. And while a
grand building, we found the little details hidden from most visitors are what give the
court's home its power and charm. Ornate carvings above the courtroom, showing great law givers
of the past, like Moses with the Ten Commandments, and a rare image of the prophet Mohammed.
Small turtles on the lamppost outside, signifying the deliberate pace of justice. And portraits
of every former justice lining the walls where the new justices are sworn in. HOFSTEDT: This
allows you to go through the history of the court in only 16 or 17 people, and we've had
44 presidents now. There's only been 17 chief justices in that same period of time. BOLDUAN:
An ever-evolving court, yet a place built on tradition, and an institution leaving lasting
imprints on the fabric of American society. (on camera) But on rare occasion, that imprint
works the other way around. These sweeping doors leading into the court were meant to
symbolize access to justice for all, but they've now been closed as a public entrance because
of security concerns. Kate Bolduan urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags State urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
City urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags place MATT HOFSTEDT, ASSOCIATE CURATOR, SUPREME
COURT: This is part of the architectural plan to try to make the appearance of the court
feel monumental and to give the sense that there's important things happening in this
building Normal.dot Microsoft Office Word Turner Broadcasting System, INC MATT HOFSTEDT,
ASSOCIATE CURATOR, SUPREME COURT: This is part of the architectural plan to try to make
the appearance of the court feel monumental and to give the sense that there's important
things happening in this building Title Microsoft Office Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8
