Washingtonthesupremecourtisshuttingitsfrontentrancetothepublic,andrevealingnewdivisionsamongthejusticesthemselves.Inamovetotightensecurity,courtofficialsannouncedmondaythepublicwillnolongerbepermittedtoenterthroughthebuildingsmajesticfrontentrance.Instead,startingtuesday,visitorswillbeshuntedaroundtothesides.Courtofficialsexplainedthemoveasprudentandnecessary,inkeepingwithsecurityrecommendationsfirstmadein2001andreiteratedlastyear.Thesecurityreports,whichthemselvesremainsecret,urgedsettingupnewpublicscreeningareas.Theentranceprovidesasecure,reinforcedareatoscreenforweapons,explosives,andchemicalandbiologicalhazards,thecourtdeclaredinapublicstatement.Justicesstephenbreyerandsoniasotomayor,though,denouncedthelong-anticipateddetoursasabadsignalfromapublicbodythatsalreadyfamouslybuttoned-up.Ithinkthechangeisunfortunate,breyerwrote,addingthattomanymembersofthepublic,thiscourtsmainentranceandfrontstepsarenotonlyameansto,butalsoametaphorfor,accesstothecourtitself.Visitorswillstillbeallowedtoleavethecourtthroughthefrontdoors.Thecourtsreroutingofthepublicfollowstheleadtakenbycongressandthewhitehouse,wheresecurityconsiderationsalreadyshapethevisitorexperience.Mosttourists,forinstance,nowmustenterthecapitolviaanundergroundscreeningfacilityandvisitorscentercompletedatacostofsome$621million.Thestrategyforboththecapitolandthesupremecourtistokeepthescreeningasfaraspossiblefromthepeopleandfacilitybeingprotected.Unlikethecapitol,however,wherec-spancamerascapturetheactionandreporterswanderrelativelyfreely,thesupremecourtremainslargelycloakedfrompublicview.Justices,withoutexplanation,deniedsevenseparatemediarequestssinceoctoberforsame-dayreleaseofaudiotapesfromhigh-profileoralarguments.Inarelatedvein,justicesappeardisinterestedinperennialcongressionaleffortstoopenthesupremecourttotelevisioncameras.Notachance,justiceantoninscaliasaidina2006cnbcinterview.Wedontwanttobecomeentertainment.Ithinktheressomethingsickaboutmakingentertainmentoutofotherpeopleslegalproblems.Invoicingtheirdissatisfactionwiththedecisiontoshutthefrontentrance,sotomayorandbreyerdescribedthe44marblestepsleadinguptotheentranceasanintegralpartofarchitectcassgilbertswidelyacclaimeddesign.Thefour-storymarblebuildingopenedin1935,acrossthestreetfromthecapitolandnexttothelibraryofcongress.Lastyear,392,488publicvisitorsenteredthecourtbuilding.Gilbertsplanleadsvisitorsalongacarefullychoreographed,climbingpaththatultimatelyendsatthecourtroomitself,breyerwrote,andwritersandartistsregularlyusethestepstorepresenttheidealthatanyoneinthiscountrymayobtainmeaningfuljusticethroughapplicationtothiscourt.Chiefjusticejohnrobertsjr.Isaccustomedtoideologicalandjurisprudentialdivisions.Fivedecisionssofarthistermhavebeenreachedonthenarrowestpossiblemargins,andsomeofthetoughestcasesremainunfinished.However,theresnopublicrecordofaformalvoteheldbythecourtsninejusticesconcerningthepublicentrancedecision.Athree-memberbuildingcommitteehasbeenoverseeingacourtmodernizationprojectformallybegunin2003.Thewide-rangingproject,withapricetaginitiallyestimatedat$122million,includesenhancedsecurity.Justiceshavebeenkeepingmembersofcongressapprisedofthemodernizationproject,includingplanstoshiftentrances,andsofarlawmakershavelargelyshrugged.Morefrommcclatchy:followthelatestpoliticsnewsatmcclatchyssuits&sentencessupremecourttoconsiderbanonsaleofviolentvideogamestominorssupremecourtappearstobackstudentgroupsexclusionaryrulesconservativegroupdoesntswayscaliainballotsignaturecaselastyearssupremecourtfinalistsrisetotopofobamaslist aeromedical evacuation system !,Becomeafanonfacebook |4444444444444444|
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