The Bernalillo Courthouse has a major kinetic sculpture by artist Evelyn Rosenberg entitled “The Scale of Justice”. Installed in 2003, this computer-controlled sculpture transfers water from side to side every six minutes. At the base are inscriptions depicting human thought about truth and justice that date back to the writing of the Hammurabic Code in 1800 BC. The inscriptions are in their native languages and translations can be found on red granite tiles installed on the courthouse plaza. The bottoms of the scale pans are elaborately decorated: one with a phoenix representing redemption and fire and the other with a dragon symbolizing darkness and water.
