The United States Supreme Court Building

In the world of Athena Minerva, in the early 20^th century, in the city of Washington, there was built a "Temple of Justice" known later as the "U.S. Supreme Court Building".
The building encompasses the shape and appearance of an ancient Roman temple to a metaphorical Goddess of Justice plus two purely practical wings for offices and courtrooms.
Upon entering the property, one is met by two statues. On the right, a statue of a man holds in high regard the Book of Laws and commits his sword to obey it. On the left, a statue of a woman holds in her hand a smaller statue of a woman (a peculiar artistic choice) representing the aforementioned hypothetical Goddess of Justice, and the larger woman appears to be pondering somehting in her mind that concerns her. The two taken together draw attention to the stability of the law written in the past and the constant need in the present to think hard to correctly apply that law to new situations as they occur.

The Grand Facade

Approaching the entrance to the building, one reads in English, "EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW" carved in Vermont Granite. Above that banner is a crowned queen seated on her throne, the metaphorical Lady Liberty, patron of the Americas, symbol of leadership and the ability to make one's will reality, seated on a throne of authority and power, who presides over a team of men seated on either side of her. Upkilt views of her two male bodyguards can be seen kneeling beside her throne, hanging on her every word. They represent the Spirit of Order on her left (as a medieval knight with sword and shield passive but ready), and the Spirit of Authority on her right (as a Roman centurion bearing a bundle of 48 sticks bound together into an unbreakable column, representing the 48 states in the Union at the time). An interesting detail is that the sword of Order is peace-bonded with a ribbon over the cross guard which must be removed before drawing the sword from its scabbard.
To the left of Order is Mister Gilbert, the architect of the building, dressed as a Roman wise man in a toga listening intently to the man on his left, Senator Root, who carries the bill he wrote and had enacted into law creating a U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. To their left is a reclining young, muscled, and scantily clad William Howard Taft (U.S. President 1909-1913 and Supreme Court Chief Justice 1921-1930) intently researching the law in modern books.
To the right of Authority, kneels a toga-clad Chief Justice Hughes, who was Chairman of the commission to create the building. He is conspiring with the tunic-clad laborer seated on his right, none other than Mister Aitken, the artist who sculpted the entire facade from marble. To their right is a reclining young, muscled, and naked Chief Justice Marshall (Supreme Court Justice 1801-1835) intently researching the law on an ancient scroll.

Supreme Court West Pediment by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The sculptor working himself into the stonework is one of the more elaborate author-insertion "selfies" in history.

Type

Courthouse