Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2994]

On a high dais sit the empty thrones of the Justices. Overlooking this dais is a small gallery where the press and interested parties normally sit. The small well of the chamber contains a large table at which sit the fifteen members of the electoral commission, chaired by the most ancient of the Justices, Mr. Clifford. Solemnly he receives the various lawyers representing Tilden and Hayes, and accepts their lengthy learned briefs. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2994

Note

The description of the Supreme Court’s chamber evokes a sense of grandeur and solemnity, enhancing the tension surrounding the electoral commission’s proceedings.