Virtual Tour

The Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. courtroom

Named in honor of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935), former Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (1882-1899), Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (1899-1902), and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1902-1932), this courtroom features the actual bench Holmes used when he was a member of the Court. Other details in the courtroom, such as the oak paneling and the painted decorative frieze on the walls, have been restored to their former splendor, while state-of-the art audio and visual equipment represents the latest in modern technology. The seven justices of the Supreme Judicial Court, acting individually as Single Justice, hear appeals of certain interlocutory (during the course of litigation) motions, bar discipline proceedings, and other emergency appeals in this courtroom.