Court Seal
Though it is seldom used except on the admissions certificates issued to members of the Virginia State Bar, the Supreme Court has its own seal which is distinct from the Seal of Virginia. The Court's seal depicts the Goddess Justitia seated on a throne holding the Scales of Justice in her left hand while her right hand extends toward the figure of an ostrich (some descriptions identify the bird as an ibis, crane or egret), a symbol of mercy or rumination of thought. The origin of the seal is not known. During a ceremony to celebrate the Court's 225th anniversary, the seal was used for the first time in many years on the cover of the programs given to guests, and also appears on certificates of admission and other ceremonial documents issued by the Court. The lesser state seal, however, is depicted on the Justices' chairs and on a medallion over the entrance to the main courtroom.
Read more about this topic: Supreme Court Of Virginia
Famous quotes containing the words court and/or seal:
“In government offices which are sensitive to the vehemence and passion of mass sentiment public men have no sure tenure. They are in effect perpetual office seekers, always on trial for their political lives, always required to court their restless constituents.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“We have progressively improved into a less spiritual species of tenderness—but the seal is not yet fixed though the wax is preparing for the impression.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)