On February 1, 1790, six men in long black robes climbed the steps of the Royal Exchange Building in New York City, then the capital of the United States. They were the very first justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, called there by Chief Justice John Jay. The country was barely a year old under its new Constitution, and these judges had been hand-picked by President George Washington himself. Their job was to be the top referees of American law.
The first day was kind of a flop. Only three justices showed up because the others were stuck on muddy roads or storm-tossed ships. With no quorum, they couldn't actually do anything official. They tried again the next day, finally got enough justices in the room, and spent most of the week swearing in lawyers and admiring their fancy new robes. They had no cases to decide and no courthouse to call home. The court even shared space with other government meetings.
It would take years before the Supreme Court became the powerful place we know today, deciding huge questions about civil rights, freedom of speech, and how the country should work. That sleepy first meeting in 1790 was the seed. Every massive ruling that's followed, from school desegregation to internet privacy, traces back to those few justices in New York, waiting for their colleagues to arrive so American justice could officially get started.
