The US Supreme Court averted a major accident last year when a piece of marble at least 2 feet long crashed to the ground in an interior courtyard used by judges and their aides, according to several court staff.
The incident, which the court has yet to publicly acknowledge, occurred in the tense spring of 2022, as the court dealt with death threats and other security concerns and the justices were putting the finishing touches on their stunning decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Justice Elena Kagan and her law clerk had been in the yard earlier in the day, employees said.
No one was injured when the marbles fell, workers said.
The piece was big enough to seriously injure someone, they said. It was much larger than the basketball-sized block that fell near the front entrance of the court in 2005.
The weight of the marble that fell is unknown, but the Georgia marble used in the court’s four interior courtyards weighs about 170 pounds per cubic foot, according to Polycor, which owns the quarry that provides the marble.
The Supreme Court averted a major accident in 2022 when a large piece of marble at least two feet long crashed to the ground in an inner courtyard used by judges and their aides.AP
The employee spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because court policy prohibits all but a small number of employees from speaking to reporters on the record.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe would not provide any details about the incident but confirmed that it had occurred. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, the building was closed at the time to the public and members of the news media who regularly cover the court.
Each of the four courtyards has fountains and columns that resemble those found outside the building. There are tables and chairs where employees can have lunch or work on a pleasant day.
The site is closed for restoration work that could cost nearly $35 million, a budget request to Congress shows. The court had planned to redo the page well before the marbles fell. The work is ongoing, mostly in the evening after the court workers leave for the day.
In addition to restoring the marble, workers are also updating the fountains, plumbing, and electrical system that began when the building opened in 1935.
In November 2005, a marble molding fell from the facade above the entrance to the courthouse, landing on the stairs near visitors waiting to enter the building on Monday morning. No one was injured at the time.
Chief Justice John Roberts made a joking reference to the 2005 incident when he spoke at Drake University’s law school three years later.
The building then underwent a comprehensive renovation that cost about $120 million and lasted until 2011.
“Right now, there are a lot of reasons we had to renovate the building, including the fact that we really lost our marbles,” Roberts said, as quoted in a university news release. “Chunks of marble would occasionally dislodge and fall from above, threatening to shorten the lifespan.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
