Too often, visitors do not see the corresponding pediment and columns on the east side. Seated on the right are Chief Justice Hughes, the sculptor Aitken, and Chief Justice Marshall as a young man. At the left are Chief Justice Taft as a youth, Secretary of State Elihu Root, and the architect Cass Gilbert.
On either side are groups of three figures depicting Council and Research which Aitken modeled after several prominent individuals concerned with the law or the creation of the Supreme Court Building. On the architrave above is incised "Equal Justice Under Law." Capping the entrance is a sculptured group by Robert Aitken, representing Liberty Enthroned guarded by Order and Authority. Sixteen marble columns at the main west entrance support the pediment. On the right is a male figure, the Guardian or Authority of Law. On the left is a female figure, the Contemplation of Justice. These large statues are the work of sculptor James Earle Fraser. On either side of the main steps are seated marble figures. The bronze flagpole bases are crested with symbolic designs of the scales and sword, the book, the mask and torch, the pen and mace, and the four elements: air, earth, fire, and water. On either side of the plaza are fountains, flagpoles, and benches. Flanking these steps is a pair of marble candelabra with carved panels on their square bases depicting: Justice, holding sword and scales, and The Three Fates, weaving the thread of life. A few low steps lead up to the 252-foot-wide oval plaza in front of the building. The main entrance to the Supreme Court Building is on the west side, facing the United States Capitol. Supreme Court Building Highlights Brochure (pdf) Self-Guide to the Building’s Interior Architecture (pdf) Self-Guide to the Building’s Exterior Architecture (pdf)
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