Final answer:
John Quincy Adams was the lawyer who defended Joseph Cinque before the Supreme Court, which was located in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. at the time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lawyer who defended Joseph Cinque before the Supreme Court was former President John Quincy Adams. This historic case is known as the Amistad case and took place at the Supreme Court, which at that time, did not have its own building.
The Supreme Court was sharing space with Congress in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. while they awaited the completion of their own building, which wouldn't be completed until 1935.
The Supreme Court building today stands with the motto "Equal Justice Under Law" inscribed on its marble front, a testament to the ideals of the judiciary. But as history shows, the Court has evolved significantly over time, from modest beginnings to becoming a coequal, independent branch of the federal government with its own dedicated building.