William Hennessy Jr., a prolific courtroom illustrator, dies at 67

IN MEMORY

Michael Dreeben represented the United States in the historic presidential immunity case last term. (William Hennessy)

William Hennessy Jr., a classically trained artist and SCOTUSblog contributor who recorded Supreme Court oral arguments and court cases across the country for decades, died Tuesday. Scott McFarlane, a CBS News correspondent who profiled Hennessy last year, reported on X about an announcement from Hennessy’s family. Hennessy turned 67 on Tuesday.

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

Hennessy, who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, told McFarlane that he was still in school when he answered a call for a courtroom artist. He said he “threw into it” because he had to support his family, but quickly became excited by the work and the tight deadlines.

Over his decades of illustrating, Hennessy has 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-up photos of Chief Justice Warren Burger, who served from 1969 to 1986, the December 2000 dispute Bush v. Goreand the inauguration of current Chief Justice John Roberts in 2005.

In a sketch representing last week’s oral arguments United States v. Skrmettichallenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, Hennessy captured the energy in the room: The justices gestured as Chase Strangio, the first openly transgender person to argue in court, spoke at the lectern.

The judges debate with Chase Strangio. (William Hennessy)

While Hennessy’s work on the Supreme Court focused primarily on the central drama on the bench, he also used his sketches to highlight important visitors to the courtroom, such as Norma Anderson – the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging then-former President Donald Trump wanted to disqualify him from voting in Colorado because of his role in the attacks on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

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 allowed many Americans to see historic cases unfold behind closed courtroom doors. He frequently ventured outside the Supreme Court, covering high-profile trials and trials at every level – from President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial to Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges in Delaware.

Not everyone was a fan of Hennessy’s sketches for the impeachment of then-former President Donald Trump in Florida on charges that he illegally stored classified documents. Some critics claimed that Hennessy’s sketches were too flattering, but Hennessy responded that he was not “editing.” I just draw what I see.”