The Supreme Court
courtroom is 43
feet wide, 56 feet long and 35 feet high. Most of the wood in the room
is oak. The state seal is emblazoned on many of the wall panels, the
lamps and the carpet. Included in the seal is the state motto, "Qui
transtulit sustinet" ("He who transplanted still sustains"). The
portraits on the walls are those of the most recently retired Chief
Justices.The two murals that dominate the room were painted by
Albert Herter and placed in the building upon its completion in 1913.
Behind the justices' bench is "The Signing of the Fundamental Orders of
1638-39." The Orders, the first written constitution in the United
States, were drawn up by Thomas Hooker, Roger Ludlow and John Haynes.
Hooker is shown standing and addressing the gathering. Ludlow, the
secretary, is seated, while Haynes stands in the background with a copy
of the new constitution in his hand. In the corners of the mural are the
seals of England, seventeenth century Connecticut and modern
Connecticut.
The ceiling mural is
entitled "An Allegory of Education." At the top, a mother is
seated with the Book of Knowledge and Experience in her lap and
her child by her side. On her left stands the Spirit of Wisdom;
on her right, the Spirit of Progress. The center portion shows
two young men bearing flaming torches that represent the light
of education gained
from the Book of Knowledge and Experience. They are going forth into
life's activities, urged on by the Spirits of Wisdom and Progress. The
bottom portion of the mural shows two figures, representing ignorance
and superstition. They appear confused as they fall farther and farther
into the darkness as the light of education advances.
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