Supreme Court of the United States

Chief Justice William Howard Taft — the only person to serve as both president and Chief Justice — was the primary advocate for giving the Court its own building after it had shared space with Congress for nearly 150 years. The building, designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1935, features Corinthian columns, bronze doors, and a Great Hall lined with busts of former Chief Justices.

The Court’s exterior and public spaces are accessible to visitors, and the Chamber itself is open when the Court is not in session. Landmark decisions on civil rights, presidential power, and the reach of the Constitution have been handed down from the bench inside, making the building a focal point of American legal and political history.