U.S. Navy ensign and fourth-year medical student Troy Lewis sat with his attorney as Assistant U.S. Attorney Julieanne Himelstein summed up the government’s case for the jury. Lewis had used the internet to arrange a sexual encounter with a ten-year old, but his contact turned out to be an undercover DC police detective.
The local NBC4 has the story here (usually they do a better job shooting the sketches, and where’s my credit?!?).
Courtroom sketching is a form of visual journalism or reportage drawing that is slowly dying out. Where once upon a time news organization each had their own artist covering a story, today a “pool” artist often sketches for all. It is a demanding and stressful discipline where the drawing is often done directly and under tight deadline.
After forty-five years of news sketching in courtrooms and congress I’m calling it quits. It’s been sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, almost always interesting. I’ve been lucky to work with some really great people. Don’t think I’ll miss it, but a little scared of not having a deadline.
While I won’t be sketching in court anymore, I may continue to post to this blog from time to time. Not sure what that might be. I’m about to start a new assignment documenting infrastructure and construction. Could be interesting.
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