150 Years Federal Supreme Court

Celebrating justice

This commemorative stamp depicts two central elements of the Federal Supreme Court, which celebrates its 150th birthday in 2025: the grand chamber and Lady Justice, the symbol of justice.

In 1848, the Federal Constitution estab- lished the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority of the Con- federation. But it was not until 1875 that, under a new remit, it became a perma- nent court based in Lausanne. The Federal Court was initially housed in the Casino de Derrière-Bourg, before moving to the newly built Palais de Justice de Mont- benon. Since 1926, it has been located in the Palais de Mon Repos, built specifically for this purpose by the architects Prince, Béguin and Laverrière. The photo on the miniature sheet shows the heart of the building: the grand chamber where publicconsultations take place. Lady Justice, a sculpture by sculptor Charles-Albert Angst, watches over the main entrance to the court. Working from his sketches, the artist Jean-Paul Gobet produced a medalwhich is awarded by the Federal Supreme Court both for exceptional services and to mark the retire- ment of federal judg- es, and which also in- spired the design for the commemorative stamp.