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Through the Eyes of Two Wheelock Students
Visiting the Supreme Court
January 14, 2009 - Lucy
At Wheelock, I’m lucky enough to be able to study History and Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocacy (my major and minor, respectively). It’s an unusual pairing, but one that I find to be constantly interrelated and endlessly fascinating. Not surprisingly, the history of the American judicial system has always been of special interest to me. From John Marshall’s establishment of judicial review, to the Warren Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education and In re Gault decisions, I’ve felt that (at its best) the Supreme Court embodies a justice that transcends opinion and politics.
Today, when our faculty advisor gave us the afternoon off, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to visit the Supreme Court- I went by myself, needing to experience the Court in silence, to appreciate its solemnity and grandeur.
Walking the stairs up to the Court, I was reminded of Jeffrey's Toobin's recent book, The Nine. In the introduction, Toobin describes how architect Cass Gilbert envisioned the new Supreme Court in 1928. The challenge for Gilbert would be in conveying the grandness of the Court in a less than ideal space. Wedged tightly between the Library of Congress and the Capitol, the Court's grandness is symbolized in the memorable journey up the steep stairs- literally separating the Court from the world below, and a physical manifestation of American walk to justice.
-Lucy
