It was a hot summer day, June 20th, in D.C. Cheryl and I took the Metro in from Alexandria. I was carrying my sports jacket. I had been told a jacket and tie would be sufficient. As it turned out a dark business suit would have been more appropriate. Jim, my good friend and classmate from 50 years ago, greeted us at the entrance to the Historical Society of the Supreme Court and we were immersed for an hour or so in the history of the Court and it's justices. It was clear that Jim was highly respected as the unofficial historian of the Court. It was his collection of books on the lives of the justices, donated to the society, that lined the walls of it's library.
Then it was time to make the two block walk to the Court. The sun was still beating down on the nation's capital and on the TV cameras and commentators gathered at the base of the imposing steps leading to the front entrance. Could the setting for the Final Judgment be more threatening than this? We quickly realized the reason for the cameras. This was the day the Court had brought down its decision on Female Employees vs. Walmart (or whatever the official title of the case.) The networks were there to announce to the world that for all practical purposes the nation's largest corporation had prevailed over its lesser paid employees. (5 to 4).
The newsday was coming to an end and the equipment was being packed up and driven away. Our attention was drawn to a celebrative group of folks posing for a picture on the steps. They were the occasion of our visit. These highschool social science teachers had spent the week in the environs of Court studying its working and arguing its pending cases. They had been invited earlier that day to come into the courtroom to hear four decisions, Walmart only being one. This evening their week at the Court was culminating with a reception in their honor hosted by the Chief Justice. Jim was slipping us in to the reception, he said, as "ringers." We were to act as if we were staff of the Historical Society and mingle with the teachers.
Fortunately, there was an elevator as an alternative to the front steps. We were ushered into one of two reception rooms. This one had portraits of the chief justices. The one that caught my attention was the one of Justice Rehnquist. He had introduced yellow stripes onto the sleeves of his robe. They stood out in the portrait as if he were an army drill sergeant. The teachers were excited and thrilled by their week, ready to return to their home states and share the excitement about the judicial system with their students. I was impressed especially by a veteran temale teacher from the Detroit Public Schools and a young man from Arkansas. The drinks and finger food were plentiful. I tried not to spill anything on the floor or on myself.
After all, I was a "ringer."
Chief Justice Roberts welcomed the teachers, spoke briefly and with some pride of the decisions rendered that day and spoke more extensively about the respect with which the U.S. Supreme Court was held around the world. In fact, he was leaving as soon as that session was finished on a tour of Easter Europe, the former Soviet Block countries, to encourage their supreme courts to emulate the American system. I bypassed the opportunity to discusst the fine points of the Walmart decision with him.
After the reception Jim had arranged for a tour of the building for us with the Procurator. She it is who has responsibility for the many artifacts and portraits contained in the building. And as the court's historian he works closely with her. A wonderfully accomodating person, she took us into nooks and cranies not ordinarily seen on routinue tours. She showed us, for instance, a newly completed portrait of Justice Brennan waiting in the wings until he retires or dies. They do not hang portraits of sitting justices. We were ushered into the courtroom itself and, although not encouraged to sit in one of the justices' chairs, could have sat on the side reserved for family members or the press section or even the seat reserved for visiting chief justices from other countries.
The sun was setting well to the north of the Washington Monument as we viewed that white obelisk from Capital Hill. It had cooled off a bit and Jim was walking Cheryl and me back to the Metro Stop. I was impressed with how long this friendship had endured with little personal contact over the years. I was also impressed with the strength of tradition and commitment to law which enforce narrow-majority decisions of this court. One resignation, one appointment can alter the course of legal history.
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