Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-21

but this is now well filed. Document
filing space to meet requirements for
at least 200 years to come should be
provided in the new building.
The Supreme Court suffered serious
loss Of its papers in 1898 through fire
when they were stored on wooden
shelves. In the new structure fire
proof storage space is absolutely es-
sential. In connection with this, con.
sultation rooms must be provided for
attorneys, where they can have ref
erence to these original court docu-
ments.
Legislation of rec1nt years has
multiplied the work of the Supreme
Court and this, in turn. has been re-
| flected in the enlargement of its
clerical force necessary not only to
handle the routine court business but
to take care of the extensive CORE
spondence and contact work with the
attorneys all over the country and
the people particularly concerned
with the court decisions. The clerical
force. with air live records and docu-
ments and briefs and decisions, are
now crowded into three small rooms.
These offices should he expanded to
| occupy the entire floor of a new
building.
The present arrangement is awk-
ward. The clerks office is on the
other side of the old Senate lobby
from the court chamber, Sometimes
when certain papers or data from the
clerks Office are needed the court has
to suspend while they are sent for
| Under q proper arrangement the
clerks office should be adjacent to
the courtroom.
Library Also Hampered.
The law library of the Supreme
| Court is said to be one of the best al
such specialized research libraries in
| the worl6. However. as the Public
Buildings Commission report empha.
| sized in 1917 and as law journals have
repeatedly complained, the accomodae
tions at this library are so inadequate
| that the library is used to only a
small fraction of its possibilities. In
| the plans for the new building ar
entire floor should be provided fol
this library, with large reading rooms
and with smaller rooms where coun
sci in important cases can hold con
ferences and prepare their cases.
The public will be surprised to learn
| that the Chief Justice and the asso,
ciate justices have no privacy and nc
offices. They have no place now to
which they can retire for conference
In the new building it is proposed
| to give each Justice at least the &C
commodation that is afforded to a
| United States Senator 1t is calcu
lated that each of the nine members
of the Supreme Court should have al
| least three Office rooms with two
clerks. This should be in addition to
a large conference room.
There is now a nominal 'robine
room for the justices, but this is g
shabby back Office, used necessarily as
a store room, which is entirely out
of keeping with the dignity and stand
| ing and work of this great branch Of
the Government.
Present Size to Remain.
The time. has come when it can be-
pretty safely predicted that the Su
preme Coart will continue indefinitely
at its present size. nine members, sc
that in planning the new building
| this number can be taken into &C
count The Supreme Court has with
| drawn from the circuit, and litigants
/ today want the entire court to decide
| each case instead Of dividing up the
cases among a larger bench.
! The marshal's office also must have
a suite Of offices assigned to it.
| For many years the building OF 9
! great temple of justice has been ad
vocated, but the project has been de
! Iayed because the Supreme Court very
properly objected to. having its build
ling occupied by other agencies. II
| has consistently maintained thai
when the building was erected II
should be understood to be exclusively
| for the Supreme Court, and to be
J known as. the Supreme, Court Build
| ing. Now that the site for the new
I Department of Justice has peer
| definitely selected and designated 81
| Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue, probably on frontage line
with the District or Municipal Bulld
/ ing, with.a triangular park IN from
! which will improve the vista from
/ the White House and Treasury dowr
| Pennsylvania avenue to the Capitol
| this difficulty has been largely obvi
ated. The Justice Building will De on
/ the south side Of Pennsylvania ave
rue, diagonally from the Treasury
and the Supreme Court. Building op
! posite the east front of the CapitoI
balancing the Library OF Congress.
4
Room for Portraits Sought.
| In the new supreme Court Build
ing viii be an art gallery, In the dilapl
dated, work-worn .robing room" O
today are. hung the. portraits OF tht
| 10 Chief Justices. There has been in
sufficient room to hang portraits q
the associate justices. In the clerk:
ONCE are hung portraits of tht
clerks of the court. In the courtroom
itself are marble busts of the Chiei
Justices. In the new building fitting
and ample space will be provided fol
properly preserving for posterity ths
facsimiles Of the great jurists, who
| have preserved the integrity of oul
self government BY decisions Of ths
august body in which they partici
pated aus Justices Of the Supreme
Court
For many years 1t has been con
tempIat.sd that the Supreme Court
Building would be one of the fnQsi
attractive edifices in the country. 4