| The Supreme Court was first
convened in 1790. The first set of justices, which numbered only three,
joined the rest of the government in New York, where the temporary
capitol was. When the capitol moved down to Philadelphia in 1791,
the members of the Supreme Court followed. However, despite
their trips (required by Congress) all over the country to hold court
in what justices termed the "frontier," the first three years of its
existence the Court was not extremely busy. Because the new
country was so young, it took some time before appeals trickled up from
the lower courts. After 1800, when the government made its permanent home in D.C., the Court moved into the Capitol Building as soon as it was completed. Until then, the Court met wherever they could find a place. For a century, the Court was lodged in the Capitol Building. However, Chief Justice Taft, former President, lobbied to have the present house of the Court built. The building's elegant design makes visitors think of classical Roman and Greece architecture. Court was held in the new building beginning in 1935.  coming soon! View U.S. Supreme Court in a larger map |
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