The Significance and Symbolism of the Judicial Robe

Why do American judges wear black robes? And what does it mean in our modern court system? Hear what Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Clarence Thomas, as well as Virginia state and federal judges and justices, say it means to them.

The black judicial robe has become a well-known and almost universal symbol of the judicial role across the United States. Through a partnership between Preservation Virginia and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, the only surviving judicial robe of Chief Justice John Marshall has been professionally conserved and is on display in VMHC's The Story of Virginia exhibition. Marshall served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835, during which time he cemented the position of the modern Supreme Court through the establishment of judicial review. When he was sworn in as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, Marshall chose to wear a plain, black robe, which helped establish the form of attire judges still use today. John Marshall’s robe is the single-most significant artifact from his 34-year tenure as Chief Justice and his defining legacy of establishing the federal judiciary as a constitutional equal of the executive and legislative branches of government.