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Seals are stamps used to authorize official documents. The Clerk of the Court, who handles the administrative aspects of the Supreme Court, is responsible for keeping the Court's seal. Created by three committees over a period of six years, from 1776 to 1782, it is almost identical to the Great Seal of the United States.
The single star that appears beneath the eagle on the seal is the only difference between the Supreme Court Seal and the Great Seal of the United States. The star represents the "one Supreme Court" established by the U.S. Constitution.
Since ancient times, the eagle has been a symbol of power and victory. As such, it became an emblem of imperial Rome and later of the Holy Roman Empire. The third committee to work on the U.S. seal was responsible for introducing the eagle to the design. However, their original conception showed a small white eagle atop a pillar. In 1782, Secretary of Congress Charles Thompson enlarged the eagle and made it the central element in the design. He also replaced the proposed eagle with the American bald eagle, thus maintaining the symbolic meaning of the bird while claiming a new, distinct authority for the new republic.
The shield carried by the eagle follows the European tradition of the coat of arms -- a shield bearing the markers of a particular family or ruling house. In the case of the U.S. seal, the shield borrows its symbolism from the American flag. Although the version shown here does not show the color, thirteen alternating red and white stripes represent the original states, with white standing for purity and red for valor. The band, called a "chief," at the top of the shield represents the unity of the states. The color blue represents perseverance, vigilance, and justice.
The motto appearing on the scroll held in the eagle's beak, "E Pluribus Unum," was part of the very first design for the seal, proposed in 1776 by a committee composed of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and consultant Pierre Eugene du Simitiere. Translated, the Latin phrase means "Out of many, one," a reference to the union of the states.
The constellation of 13 stars emerging from clouds was recommended by the second committee to work on the seal in 1780. This element represents the emergence of the United States as a self-governing body taking its place among other sovereign nations.
In its right talon, the eagle holds an olive branch. In its left talon, the bird clenches a bundle of 13 arrows. These symbols were intended to represent "the power of peace and war" invested in Congress. Peace seems to be the favored option, as the eagle turns in the direction of the olive branch.
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