Mid-Week Mini: The Supreme Basketball Court

In this week’s Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how there’s a basketball court in the Supreme Court Building.

There’s a basketball court inside the U.S. Supreme Court building. And I don’t mean a metaphorical “court” — it’s a real, wood-floored basketball court sitting directly above the actual courtroom where the justices hear cases.

When the Supreme Court building was completed in 1935, the fifth floor was designed as a storage and workout area for employees. There wasn’t much up there — just some old files, a small gym, and a few handball courts. But in the late 1940s, after World War II, the handball courts were converted into a full-fledged basketball court so that off-duty Supreme Court police officers and clerks could get some exercise. The change was spearheaded by building maintenance staff and court employees, not the justices themselves — though over time, a few justices would wander up there to check it out.

It’s not a large space. The room is about the size of a half-court gym, with a low ceiling and exposed rafters. You can’t dunk without risking a concussion, and when games get too loud, the sound of bouncing basketballs can be heard in the courtroom below. There’s even a standing rule: no games while court is in session. Because no Chief Justice wants to hear oral arguments punctuated by a squeak squeak SWISH from overhead.

The court quickly earned the nickname “The Highest Court in the Land.” It’s a joke that’s been passed around Washington for decades — and it’s literally true, since it’s the highest point in the building. Former clerks say the games could get surprisingly competitive, and stories still circulate about law clerks, officers, and even visiting justices taking a few shots up there.

So yes — above the nation’s top legal minds debating landmark cases, there’s a hidden basketball gym where the staff occasionally take a break to shoot hoops.

And the internet says it’s true.