The century-old Portland stone building of the U.K.'s Supreme Court stands on London's Parliament Square, separated from the historic structures housing lawmakers and religious leaders by about 400 feet.
The top court was founded seven years ago to ensure that politics and the judiciary never mix. That balance faces an unprecedented test as early as Dec. 5, when lawsuits seeking to delay Prime Minister Theresa May's plan for exiting the European Union are heard.
"It will be the most important constitutional case that court will have heard," said Robert Thomas, a professor of public law at the University of Manchester. "It's such a big constitutional issue, testing the relationship between parliament, the courts and the government in the light of the referendum."