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Cass Gilbert, architect of the US Supreme Court Building, designed the Neoclassical building to reflect majestic Roman design. The sixteen marble columns and eight pilasters supporting the pediment are a variant of the classic Corinthian style, and don't hold any particular symbolic meaning. They are based on Roman mathematical principles of scale and proportion.

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Q: What do the sixteen columns in front of the US Supreme Court building represent?
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What are facts about the columns on the Supreme Court Building?

The columns are meant to inspire a sense of dignity and reverence for the supreme court's duties in deciding constitutional laws. The sixteen marble columns and eight pilasters supporting the pediment are a variant of the classic Corinthian style, and don't hold any particular symbolic meaning. The marble used for the sixteen exterior columns is from the United States. The 24 columns in the court chamber are ivory and golden marble from the Montarrenti quarries near Siena, Italy, which the architect, Cass Gilbert, acquired through his friendship with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.


What happened to Maewyn Succat at the age of sixteen?

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What revolutionary sixteen year old rode horseback 40 miles during the night to warn that the redcoats were attackng Connecticut?

paul revere


What years did Chief Justice Warren Burger lead the US Supreme Court?

President Nixon appointed Chief Justice Warren Burger to succeed retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1969. Burger presided over the Court until his own retirement in 1986. President Nixon appointed William H. Rehnquist as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court in 1972; President Reagan elevated Rehnquist to Chief Justice in 1986, upon the retirement of Warren Burger. Chief Justice Rehnquist presided over the Court until his death from cancer in 2005.


What action did William Marbury take to get Jefferson and Madison to deliver his commission?

William Marbury brought suit to secure his position as a Justice of the Peace in Washington D.C. The appointment was one of the last minute "Midnight Judges" assignments made in the waning hours of the Adams' administration pursuant to the Organic Act of 1801 (not to be confused with the Judiciary Act of 1801, which reorganized the federal courts and added sixteen new circuit judges).Specifically, Marbury wanted the Supreme Court to issue a "Writ of Mandamus" (a judicial order compelling a government official to carry out the duties of his office) to Jefferson's Secretary of State James Madison. Marbury wanted Madison to deliver his commission so he could take office.Chief Justice John Marshall (Jefferson's second cousin) ruled that, while Marbury's appointment was legal, the Supreme Court lacked original jurisdiction over the case, preventing them from ordering the executive branch to do anything. Marshall told Marbury he would first have to pursue the case in a lower court, then petition the US Supreme Court under its appellate jurisdiction if his grievances weren't addressed.Marshall also ruled that Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, passed under George Washington, was unconstitutional. By declaring an Act of Congress unconstitutional, Chief Justice Marshall affirmed the court's right of "judical review."Marbury did not get his job.Case Citation:Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)For more information on Marbury v. Madison, see Related Questions, below.