Existing comment:
Symbols of Authority:
Article III of the Constitution places the judicial power of the United States in "one Supreme Court, an din such inferior Courts" as Congress may create from time to time. In the 1930s, the Court's 145 years of decision-making had made it one of the most powerful judicial bodies in the world. Cass Gilbert and the sculptors who worked no the project understood, therefore, that the Supreme Court Building would become the symbolic home of the Federal Judiciary. To emphasize the Court's authority to decide cases under the Constitution, the sculptors incorporated legal themes and symbols as well as powerful figures throughout the sculptural program. Some of the symbols traditionally associated with authority are the lions' heads, swords, shields, and fasces, an ancient Roman symbol of authority. |