U.S. Supreme Court Comes to Life for Virtual Visitors

People who want to find out how the Supreme Court works but cannot make the trip to Washington have a new choice--a virtual tour of the nation’s highest court on the Internet.

Visitors to the “Oyez Oyez Oyez” site on the World Wide Web see panoramic views of the court building while listening to oral arguments and announcements of the justices’ opinions in major cases of the past.

Soon the site will offer 360-degree views of the stately courtroom, the justices’ private conference room and the beautiful library.

“My vision has always been to make this institution come alive and move it beyond text and still images,” said Jerry Goldman, a Northwestern University political science professor who created the site. “The idea is to bring this remote institution alive to the American people.”

At the “Oyez Oyez Oyez” site, the first thing visitors hear is the court marshal giving that traditional greeting, which opens each public session. With the proper computer equipment, visitors see:

* Panoramic views outside the court building, which can be turned 360 degrees by using the computer’s mouse. One picture puts viewers at the top of the massive exterior steps, where they can examine the bronze front doors or look through the columns to the street.

* Biographies and pictures of all the justices. The biography of early Chief Justice John Marshall says, “No one will replace him as the Babe Ruth of the Supreme Court!”

* Full recordings of oral arguments in many important cases, including a 1996 Texas voting-rights case, the 1992 case that reaffirmed the right to abortion, and the 1986 case that said there is no constitutional right to engage in homosexual sex. Some of the justices’ announcements of decisions also are included.

One can hear attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg argue an important sex-discrimination case before the court in 1973, then listen to Justice Ginsburg announce the 1996 ruling that ordered Virginia Military Institute to admit women or give up state funding.

Justice Clarence Thomas’ 1991 investiture ceremony also can be heard. Goldman plans to add more arguments and speeches, such as a recording of Alger Hiss describing what it was like to clerk for Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Soon there will be many panoramic views inside the court building, including some areas not open to the public, such as the justices’ conference room.

The site will show rotating views of the Great Hall, giving viewers the illusion of walking down the hall toward the courtroom to sit in on an argument.

Tape recordings of Supreme Court arguments are released by the National Archives months after the term ends each summer. They must be put in computer format before they can be added to the site, which adds a delay of about a year.

Plenty of other law is available on the Internet, including hundreds of sites started by law firms and at least one interactive legal word game.

The game, Sharktalk, is meant for fun. But Ralph Warner, co-founder of Nolo Press, said his site also pokes fun at the fancy lingo used by lawyers and judges.

“If the courts would just do the people’s business in the people’s language, our task would be vastly easier,” Warner said.

The “Oyez Oyez Oyez” site is at https://court.it-services.nwu.edu/oyez/; the Nolo Press site is at https://www.nolo.com.