WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Monday it was closing its grand front entrance to the arriving public, prompting dissents from two justices who said the open front door was a powerful symbol of equal justice for all.
Starting today, visitors will not be permitted to walk up the marble steps to enter the building under the facade that says “Equal Justice Under Law.” Instead, for security reasons, they will be required to enter a side entrance and go through screening devices. This change, several years in the making, had been recommended as a security precaution.
Upon leaving the building, visitors will be able to walk down the marble steps.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer called the change “unfortunate” and said he believed it was not needed. The Supreme Court building, with its marble staircase, was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and opened in 1935. “Time has proven the success of Gilbert’s vision: To many members of the public, this Court’s main entrance and front steps are not only a means to, but also a metaphor for, access to the Court itself,” Breyer wrote. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she agreed with Breyer.
In court
