US Supreme Court

United State Supreme Court Building

A brief explanation of its location:
The Supreme Court, was initially to be situated at current day Judiciary Square. L'Enfant didn't have as clear an understanding of the role of the Court under the Constitution as he did of the President and the Congress. His suggested placement for the Court was still along the "power corridor" on a hill, between the executive and legislative buildings, where the court could symbolically "oversee" the avenue and the other two branches of government. The Court's role wasn't fully defined until the early 1800's under Chief Justice Marshall and the original location was never developed as the site of the new Federal Court. For many years, the Supreme Court was located on the lower floors of the Capitol. It wasn't until the 1920's that a new Supreme Court building was erected on the site where it sits today. The building's grandeur and size compensate for the fact that it is not located directly on the "power corridor."