The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-11-08
A GREAT TRIBUNAL.
THE SUPREME COURT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
1t Is the Court OF Last Resort in the
United states--Its Robing
Room-Openinga
Session.
HYHE United States Supreme
Court, writes George Gran
than Balm, moves SLOWLY. not

than Balm, moves slowly, no
alone because of the dignit,
OF the court and of its members
though they are restraining influences
Ihe great importance of decision by
this, the court of last resort, makes i
imperative that the greatest care b,
exercised in determining a verdict
so though urgent matters are ad
vanced on the docket at every term
there is no haste about transacting the
routine business. Everything take,
it's turn.
The position of Associate Justice oI
the Supreme Court is no sinecure-it
cannot even be classed as can easy
job" The Justices give full value for
the $40, 900 year which each of them
receives. Their time on the bench
averaging about four and half
hours day during the term-is not
the only time devoted TO their duties.
Every Saturday they gather in the
consultation room in the basement of
the Capitol. This room was once the
Office of the clerk of the circuit I;
the Supreme Court chamber was at
that time the chamber of the United
States Senate. To these consulta-
tions of the Justices no one is nd
mitted-not even the clerk of the
court. Here the cases which have been
argued during the week are discussed.
Here the judgment of the court is de-
termined and the task of writing an
opinion is assigned to one or more
Justices IN each case. say one or
more, because the Justices are unani-
nous in their determination of n mat
ter, and in case of division the
views OF the court are prepared by
one of the Justices and the views Of
the dissenting Justices are prepared
by another. These opinions are
written out at their homes by the
Justices to whom they are assigned
and then they are brought to the con-
sultation room and read to the full
bench. If they are approved they are
laid before the court on Monday,
which is decision day.
The assembling of the Supreme
Court is matter of much form and
ceremony. The hour of assembling
is noon. The court meets at "the
place provided by law" 80 that if
Congress after adjournment OF the
court decided to move its quarters 1t
would have simply to conform to the
new law without special action by the
court itself. The "place provided by
law" this year is as usual the Supreme
Court chamber in the Capitol at
Washington. The Justices gather at
about half past clever o'clock o. N. - -
the robing room. This is small room
adjoining the clerks Office, which is
directly across the hall from the Su-
preme Court chamber. The clerks
office was on the Office of the Sec
retary Of the Senate. In the robing
room hangs a portrait of Chief JUS
tice Jay, attired in a robe with scarlet
facings. Such gaudy equipment has
not been seen in the court room with
in the memory of this generation at
least.
Around the walls Of the robing room
hang the black silk gowns OF the Jus.
tices and a number of second hand
gowns. A Justice pays as much for
his robe of Office as he would pay for n
handsome suit of clothing. There is
fixed price for the gown, and price
which does not vary with the fluctua-
tions in the duties on silk. One wo-
man has made all the Justices gowns
for forty years, and her invariable
price for one is 800. Like the tailors
who make speciality of outfits for
officers of the army and navy, she
knows just what are the requirements
OF Justices gown, and all that her
customer has to be concerned about is
the tit. The gown must set we'll across
the shoulders, and it should reach
from the peck to the heels, but it
should not drag on the floor. say
hoor, because except on inauguration
day the Justice does not wear his gown
out of doors. When he attends an Of
fetal dinner or reception at the White
House he wears the garb of everyday
life.
The Justice wears his robe only
when the Supreme Court as body is
participating in SOLO official ceremony.
lie may go gowned to funeral if il is
an official funeral. He wears it at the
inauguration of President. But or
dinarily he puts il on in the robing
room in the morning and takes it off
in the robing room at dusk. He does
not wear it even in the consulting
room. SO there is very little wear
and tear on it, and one robe outwears
several suits of clothing.
According to the technical descrip.
tion of it, the Justices robe is made
Of large straight widths of silk. 1t is
three and a quarter yards wide at the
bottom. 1t has narrow hem around
the bottom and broad hem down the
front. it is gauged at the top to n
yoke, which is short on the shoulders
and forms deep scallop at the back.
The flowing sleeves are u yard and a
quarter wide, and reach to the wrist.