Evening star., 1926-05-05
A Supreme Court Building.

A supreme Court Building.
Yesterday the Senate, by vote
of twenty-five to fifty, rejected an
amendment TO the public buildings
bill now under debate and, 1t is to
be hoped, soon to be passed, propos-
ing the immediate erection of home
for the United States Supreme
Court. This action by the Senate
does not signify opposition to the
plan to give the Supreme Court for
the first time in it's history a sep
arate housing. On the contrary,
those VINO oppose the amendment
express themselves as favora Bile.
Their opposition, which was effec-
tive. was based upon the belief that
addition of a Supreme Court build
ing to the list of those proposed for
early construction would put the en-
tire measure in jeopardy. Thus re-
lection Of the amendment was in eff
feet merely a postponement Of the
supreme Court building project.
For many years the need Of
suitable home for the Supreme
Court has been stressed. 1t has
never had a suitable place Of meet
ing and working. When the north
and south wings of the Capitol were
completed more than sixty Ave years
ago and the Senate vacated Its old
meeting place just north Of the ro-
tunda, the Supreme Court was
housed there and it has remained in
that location ever since. original
the space allotted to ii was adequate,
but that has long since ceased TO be
the case. The chambers Of the
court are separated by the public
corridor. The justices have no prop
er accommodations. The records Of
the court are congested and the
working force is most insutficiently
accommodated. 1t is altogether an
inconvenient and undignified setting
for the highest court in the land, the
most important judicial body, in
deed, in the world.
The Supreme Court is the most
important factor of one Of the three
CO coordinate branches of the Govern
ment, the judiciary, which. by the
executive and the legislative. Yet it
has been by housing in the same
structure directly associated and
connected with the legislative branch.
Ma hal ad
yesterday in the Senate that prOvi-
sion might be made for the Supreme
Court In the proposed new building
for the Department of Justice,
answer was made that a feeling of
reluctance prevailed among the
members of the court against such
an association, inasmuch as the De-
partment Of Justice, representing the
executive branch of the Government,
appears before the court as liti-
CANT and that the two should not
occupy joint quarters. SO, likewise,
does Congress in effect appear be-
fore the court as a litisant when the
constitutionality of a statute has
been challenged and an act Of Con-
gress is therefore on trial. Yet the
court and Congress have been occu-
pying joint quarters for more than a
century.
IL does not follow, however, tina
there should be a physical union of
the court and the Department Of
Justice. 10 be sure, ia other coun-
tries The two organizations are often
Jointly housed. Should there he
disposition to maintain the two sep
arately consideration should in the
future be given to q site for the ju-
dicial building on Capitol Hill close
TO the legislative chambers. Long
ago 1t was proposed that the squares
corresponding on the north side Of
East Capitol street with those occu-
pied by the Library OF Congress
would be an ideal location for a Su-
preme Court building. In view. Of
the fact that many members of Con
eress have relations with the court.
some OF them practicins before il
during the sessions of Congress, di-
rect communications between the
Two buildings could be esta biished as
lhey have been between the Capitol
and the two office buildings.