William Hennessy, Jr., prolific courtroom sketch artist, dies at 67

IN MEMORIAM

Michael Dreeben argues for the United States in last term’s historic presidential immunity case. (William Hennessy)

William Hennessy, Jr., a classically trained artist and SCOTUSblog contributor who chronicled oral arguments at the Supreme Court and legal proceedings around the country for decades, died on Tuesday. Scott McFarlane, a CBS News correspondent who profiled Hennessy last year, reported on X on an announcement made by Hennessy’s family. Hennessy was 67 on Tuesday.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar defending the Biden administration’s opposition to an Idaho abortion restriction in April. (William Hennessy)

Hennessy, who had a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, told McFarlane that he was still in school when he answered a call for a courtroom sketch artist. He said that he “jumped at it” because he needed to support his family, but he was quickly hooked on the work and its tight deadlines.

Over decades spent as a sketch artist, Hennessy captured historic moments and landmark cases at the Supreme Court, where photography and video cameras are not allowed. A compilation of his sketches on his website includes close-ups of Chief Justice Warren Burger, who served from 1969 until 1986, the Dec. 2000 argument in Bush v. Gore, and the 2005 investiture of the current chief justice, John Roberts.

In a sketch depicting last week’s oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, the challenge to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, Hennessy caught the energy in the room: the justices gesticulating as Chase Strangio, the first openly transgender person to argue before the court, speaks at the lectern.

The justices debate with Chase Strangio. (William Hennessy)

While Hennessy’s work at the Supreme Court primarily focused on the central drama on the bench, his also used his sketches to highlight important visitors in the courtroom, such as Norma Anderson – the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to disqualify then-former President Donald Trump from the Colorado ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

Norma Anderson, one of the Colorado voters who sued Donald Trump in 2023, in the courtroom. (William Hennessy)

Without cameras in federal courts, Hennessy’s work was how many Americans saw how historic cases unfolded behind closed courtroom doors. He often ventured outside the Supreme Court, covering high-profile trials and legal proceedings at all levels – from the impeachment trials of President Donald Trump to Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges in Delaware.

Not everyone was a fan of Hennessy’s sketches of then-former President Donald Trump’s arraignment in Florida on charges that he had illegally retained classified documents. Some critics contended that Hennessy’s sketches were too flattering, but Hennessy countered that he did not “editorialize. I just draw what I see.”