The Court started the January sitting early with an emergency hearing on vaccine-or-test mandates. Unfortunately I was out sick ( not COVID ) for that argument which of course was the biggie news-wise. I did make it back to in-person arguments the following week, and here, better late than never, are the sketches:
A week ago Justice Stephen Breyer announced that he would be retiring from the Court later this term at the beginning of the summer recess. He will be missed, if not most of all then certainly to a great degree, by the sketch artists. He animates the bench with an extensive vocabulary of hand gestures and body language that makes it easy to tell a visual story, and his interminable hypotheticals allow ample time to capture the moment on paper.
Here are some sketches of Justice Breyer, chosen mostly at random not because of their historical significance but because they are the least bad drawings ( I always found it a challenge to limn this justice’s likeness ).
Charles J. Cooper, representing Senator Cruz, responds to Justice Breyer
Same -sex marriage argument, Hollingsworth v. Perry
Second amendment argument, DC v. Heller
Justice Breyer’s arm is in a sling under his robe after a bicycle fall
Justices Breyer & Scalia
Justice Breyer announces opinion in Aereo.
Justice Breyer with opinion of the Court on recess appointments.
Justice Breyer with opinion in Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission
Justice Breyer opinions in Venezuela v. Helmerich & Payne, and BOA v. Miami
Justice Breyer with opinion in Turner v. U.S.
Justice Breyer questions repondent’s lawyer, Kelsi B. Corkran.
Justice Breyer questions Deputy Solicitor General Jeffrey B. Wall
Justice Breyer with opinion in Lagos v. United States
Justice Breyer dissents inTrump v. Hawaii
Justice Thomas with opinion in NIFLA v. Becerra ( Justice Breyer, right, dissents ).
Justice Breyer dissents in Nielsen v. Preap
Justoce Breyer with opinion in Merck Sharp & Dohme v. Albrecht
Justice Breyer’s cell phone rings during arguments in Bristol-Myers Squibb
Sketches from the Mississippi abortion argument, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., were posted earlier. Here are the rest of December’s sketches.
While hundreds of demonstrators filled the sidewalks and streets around the Supreme Court building, inside lawyers made their arguments to the justices before a sparsely populated audience. The case. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, is likely the vehicle the anti-abortion movement has been waiting for.
Jacob Chansley, aka “QAnon Shaman”, the poster boy for the January 6 insurrection, was in court for sentencing last week. Judge Royce Lamberth listened patiently as Chansley rambled on at length quoting Gandhi, Jesus and Justice Clarence Thomas. He spoke about the pain he personally experienced while getting his tattoos, the movie “The Shawshank Redemption”, and looking in the mirror saying to himself, “You really messed up, royally”. At the conclusion Judge Lamberth thanked him for his remarkable comments . . . and gave him 41 months.
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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