Supreme Court Historical Society

07/30/2026

This week, we welcomed 30 educators from across the United States to Washington, DC for our 3 Branches Institute co-hosted with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society (U.S. Capitol Historical Society) and the White House Historical Association (White House Historical Assoc.). Participants expanded their knowledge of the federal government and complete site visits to the U.S. Capitol, White House, and Supreme Court of the United States.

04/21/2026

February break. 31 students. A deep dive into a landmark First Amendment case.

During the second Hometowns Boston program, students from 23 Boston-area high schools explored the federal judiciary through Smith v. Goguen (1974).

Over the week, scholars learned from six federal judges from the First Circuit and the District of Massachusetts, as well as Judge Levin H. Campbell, who decided the original case. Students also heard from law professors, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, federal defenders, probation leadership, and 13 law clerks and judicial interns.

Eight scholars from the fall cohort returned as Student Mentors, helping guide the week inside the courts.

04/14/2026

Step inside the Great Hall of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Completed in 1935, this marble-lined corridor serves as the ceremonial entrance and main passage to the courtroom.

Marble busts of former Chief Justices line the corridor, and classical details appear throughout the building, including a decorative frieze nearly 40 feet above the floor with gold-leafed plaster rosettes.

Swipe to explore the Great Hall and some of its architectural details.

04/07/2026

Illustration of an April 1867 argument before the Supreme Court, with Attorney General Henry Stanbery (standing with book) representing the United States and William L. Sharkey (arm extended) representing Mississippi.

Sharkey asked the Court to issue an injunction preventing President Andrew Johnson from enforcing the Reconstruction Acts passed by Congress. Presiding over the case was Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase. The Court ruled unanimously that it could not constitutionally issue an injunction directed against the president in this instance.

04/03/2026

On this day in 1995, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to preside over a session of the Supreme Court. Appointed in 1981, O’Connor by then was third in seniority after Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Senior Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, both of whom were absent that day.

03/24/2026

28 Boston-area students. One landmark case.

Fall semester 2025, Hometowns Boston Scholars dove into Smith v. Goguen (1974), learning from federal and state judges, law professors, courthouse staff, and dedicated legal mentors.

Despite a federal shutdown, moot court went on in the Massachusetts SJC chambers, and students capped the semester by creating a six-panel exhibit for the Moakley Courthouse.

03/19/2026

Highlights from the Society’s archives:

A 1910 cigar box featuring a chromolithograph of the Fuller Court; Justice John Marshall Harlan’s gold pocket watch (1890); and a 1963 bronze bust of Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes.

Through artwork, personal effects, and memorabilia, the Supreme Court Historical Society preserves objects that document the history of the Court and the federal judiciary.

03/17/2026

03/17/2026

Is there a shared philosophy among Irish American Supreme Court justices?

Sean Meehan, author of The Emerald Bench, reflects on the traditions and outlook that have shaped many Irish Americans who served on the Supreme Court.

Watch the full conversation with Sean Meehan and David O’Rourke on YouTube at the link in our bio.

03/12/2026

Before the Supreme Court had its own building, it met inside the U.S. Capitol for more than a century.

This pencil drawing by F.R. Petrie (c. 1970–1980) depicts a fictional oral argument in the Old Supreme Court Chamber, located on the ground floor of the Capitol.

From 1801 to 1935, the Court sat in several locations within the Capitol:

• 1801–1810: various rooms in the Capitol
• 1810–1860: the ground-floor chamber now known as the Old Supreme Court Chamber
• 1860–1935: the Old Senate Chamber

In 1935, the Court moved across the street into its permanent building.