What should federal courthouses look like? In a (functionally meaningless) executive order signed yesterday, the outgoing President says that federal buildings ought to invoke the classical architecture of ancient Athens & Greece, "to visually connect... /1

...our contemporary Republic with the antecedents of democracy in classical settings." But see counterpoint from Robert Ivy, the head of the AIA: "In the 21st century, we're very different people from the people who popularized Greek Revival architecture in the 19th century." /2

Obviously, this clash of design perspectives goes beyond mere aesthetic choices, and connects to much larger themes about the nature of political power & underlying social values, and how we want our public spaces (backed by the coercive power of the state) to reflect those. /3

Federal courthouses are great examples to focus upon, not just b/c of their political function as the site of open public discourse, but also insofar as the judiciary has been the primary beneficiary of GSA efforts to improve the quality of federal buildings in recent decades. /4

The 2007 US Courts Design Guide states that "the architecture of federal courthouses must promote respect for the tradition and purpose of the American judicial process. To this end, a courthouse facility must express solemnity, integrity, rigor, and fairness." /5

But how to embody these values in design? Guiding principles for federal architecture drafted under the Kennedy administration indicate that no official style should be adopted, and that "design must flow from the architectural profession to the government and not vice versa." /6

Here are some federal courthouses built in recent decades -- and one right now under construction -- per this set of ideas. In order, these are located in Boston (completed in 1999), Springfield (2008), Austin (2012), and San Antonio (2021?). /7

You may disagree but, to me, each of these buildings is fully consistent in its expression of those public values of "solemnity, integrity, rigor, and fairness", whilst also reflecting a diversity of impressive design choices, each in close dialogue with respective localities. /8

Of all the things that the incoming administration will have to grapple with, the design of federal buildings may not be at the very top of their list, of course. But yesterday's executive order does convene a new President's Council on Improving Civic Architecture. So,... /9

...at some point, they are going to need to think about this stuff too. I hope they will take it very seriously, and see that as our collective sense of justice & fairness evolves, it will continue to be important to reflect deeply on the physical embodiments of our values. /END

*FN: if you are interested to read more along these lines, be sure to check out the work of @YaleLawSch Professors Judith Resnik and Dennis Curtis, from whom I have cribbed at various points above, and especially their 2011 book "Representing Justice": https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300110968/representing-justice