[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 114 (Friday, July 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE 
   CONGRESS ON THE CLOSURE OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE SUPREME COURT

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                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 2010

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a Resolution 
expressing the sense of Congress, and, I believe, of the American 
people, that every American have the opportunity to enter the Supreme 
Court through its main entrance, as they have been permitted to do 
since the building first opened.
  Our founders vested the Supreme Court with the judicial power of our 
nation, and gave it the charge to dispense justice. Since 1935, 
visitors have climbed the marble steps of the Supreme Court and entered 
the nation's temple of justice through its main entrance, under the 
words ``Equal Justice Under Law.'' Chief Justice John Roberts, during 
his confirmation hearing, described the ``lump in his throat'' that 
formed every time he walked up those marble steps and through that main 
entrance.
  Millions of Americans and visitors from around the world have stepped 
through those doors to watch the Court work in openness, and to pay 
tribute to a nation not of men, but of laws.
  On May 3, 2010, Chief Justice Roberts announced that the Supreme 
Court would no longer allow visitors to enter through the main doors of 
the Supreme Court, closing the main entrance for the first time in 
nearly 75 years.
  Justice Stephen Breyer, joined by Justice Ginsberg, expressed his 
concern about the closure, stating, ``To many members of the public, 
this Court's main entrance and front steps are not only a means to, but 
also a metaphor for, access to the Court itself.''
  I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in sending a clear 
message that access to this most vital symbol of transparency and 
openness should not be restricted.

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