There are actually a couple of ways to have a free Supreme Court experience.
1. Show up early on court days.
Free tickets are given out on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. Seating is very limited so getting a ducat is an iffy proposition, but snatching one gets you in to see the legal eagles in action, robes & all.
Cases are heard from the first Monday in October on. For a schedule check out:
http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/2011TermCourtCalendar.pdf
2. Call someone in congress.
This way you might not actually get to see the gavel bangers in person, but you DO get an advanced reservation, a specific time (so you can sleep in instead of rushing over in the wee hours) & a 20 minute guided tour of the legal boys & girls' courtroom.
Ok, I admit it's not the most exciting 2/3rds of a half hour you'll ever spend, but - at worst - you give your dogs a 20 minute break from hiking through the multi Smithsonians.
To do this, you must contact your US Senate or House Of Representative member's office & ask them to schedule a Supreme Court Tour on whatever day you'd like to attend.
This is a very easy task for your senator or representative to fulfill & they will be happy to do it for you. But you must give them enough advance notice so they can work their magic. Think a couple of months before your arrival.
Oh yeah, while you've got them on the phone why not see if they can wrangle you a White House tour - a doable but more difficult request. They'll try, but if Obama says 'No way' then hit them for a guided tour of the Capital. 9 times out of 10 you'll nab that.
Back to the SC, in a couple of weeks you'll be contacted with the date & time of your 'court appearance'.
You won't be issued a ticket. Simply arrive at the court building 15 minutes before your scheduled time. Go to the left of the large front stairs & tell the officer there that you are taking the tour.
He/she will send you through a side door to the 2nd floor where another officer will show you where to wait. This is very large & beautiful waiting area filled with Chief Justice 'busts' & impressive marble columns (that are unique because they are seamless). Feel free to check them out.
You can even take pics in this room - the guards only get cranky if you (in their 'sensitive ear-ed' opinion) talk too loudly. And they will let you know it by shouting - 10 times louder than you would ever dream of speaking - to 'quiet down'.
About 5 minutes before your tour, a person with a list of guests will come out, ask you your name & check it off the list. In this post 911 world no one asks for ID. Go figure.
But soon the magic moment arrives - you'll be herded into the room where constitutional history is made by 8 of the brightest legal minds in the country - and Clarence Thomas.
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