Supreme Court of Israel building, Supreme courthouse in Givat Ram district, Jerusalem, Israel.

The Supreme Court of Israel building in Givat Ram was designed by Ada Karmi-Melamede and Ram Karmi and opened in 1992. It is built entirely of Jerusalem stone, with five courtrooms in a row, a legal library around a pyramid above the entrance, and a large wall crossing the building that evokes the Western Wall. The design combines straight lines and circles, which the architects linked to the principles of law.

The Supreme Court sat for decades in an old building on the Russian Compound, formerly a hostel for Christian pilgrims. In 1986 Yad Hanadiv (the Rothschild Foundation) offered to fund a purpose-built courthouse in the Government Quarter, completing a "democratic triangle" with the Knesset and the government ministries. Ada Karmi-Melamede and her brother Ram Karmi of Tel Aviv won the competition, ahead of Ricardo Legorreta and Richard Meier, among others. Construction ran from 1989 to 1992.

The entrance vestibule is modelled on the gate of an ancient city, a reference to the biblical verse that judges and officers be appointed "in all thy gates". A wall crossing the whole building evokes the Western Wall, and the lobby floor holds a restored 4th–6th-century synagogue mosaic from Hamat Gader showing two lions flanking an Aramaic donor inscription.

The building stands out in its elevated location in Givat Ram and is easy to reach by public transportation. Visitors should know that guided tours are available with advance booking, and you can explore areas outside the active courtrooms.

The entrance lobby is designed as a classical gate, its openings small and protected, because the court sits at the gate of the Jewish city, following the biblical command to appoint judges in all your gates. Above the lobby stands a pyramid recalling Second Temple Jerusalem tombs such as Zechariah's and Absalom's, with the legal library wrapped around it.