(1789), was “ordained and established” by the Judiciary Act of Congress. Originally consisting of 6 justices, it has since been increased to 9. The Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Cass Gilbert, was completed in 1935. Engraved in stone above the head of the Chief Justice are the Ten Commandments with the great American eagle protecting them. Moses is included among the great lawgivers in Herman A. MacNeil’s marble sculpture relief on the east portico. At the beginning of each session of the Court, as the Justices stand before their desks, the crier opens with the invocation:
God save the United States and this Honorable Court.1978