17 photos that give a rare behind-the-scenes look at the Supreme Court

Here's the courtroom of the US Supreme Court.

Red velvet drapes hang at the back.

A clock hangs above the bench in the courtroom.

Here is a lectern. It faces the bench and is where lawyers stand to argue.

Name plates mark the spaces reserved for justices' families.

A reminder of how to address the court and a seating chart of the justices.

These are the chambers of Justice Clarence Thomas. Here he is joking with his clerks as he describes their decision-making process.

These are Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's chambers. In this photo she is showing the many different collars (jabots) she wears with her robes.

Carved oak walls and arches are seen in the reading area of the library.

A look at Justice Stephen Breyer's rare-book collection in his chambers.

One of the four inner courtyards. In this photo Justice Elena Kagan is seen walking with one of her clerks.

Dappled light shines across books shelved in the court's library.

A circular staircase in the building.

It leads down to an elevator.

Here's elevator operator Johnnie Bacon as he smiles at a passenger as he tends one of the elevators.

And Justice Anthony Kennedy as he delivers a lecture for visiting international attorneys in the West Conference Room.