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

IN MEMORIAM

William Hennessy, Jr., a classically trained artist and SCOTUS blog contributor who wrote Supreme Court oral arguments and court cases around 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 defends the Biden administration’s opposition to an abortion restriction in Idaho in April. (William Hennessy)

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

Hennessy has spent decades as a sketch artist, capturing historic moments and landmark cases at the Supreme Court, where photography and video cameras are not allowed. A collection of his sketches on his website includes close-ups of Chief Justice Warren Burger, who served from 1969 to 1986, the December 2000 argument in Bush v. Goreand the 2005 inauguration of the current Chief Justice, John Roberts.

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

The judges debate with Chase Strangio. (William Hennessy)

While Hennessy’s work at the Supreme Court focused primarily on the central drama on the bench, his also used his sketches to highlight important visitors to the courtroom, such as Norma Anderson—the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that sought to disqualify then-former President Donald Trump from the Colorado ballot on because of his role in the January 6, 2021, attacks on the US 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 historic cases unfold behind closed courtroom doors. He often ventured outside the Supreme Court, covering high-profile trials and tribulations at every level—from the impeachment 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 prosecution in Florida on charges that he illegally stored classified documents. Some critics argued that Hennessy’s sketches were too flattering, but Hennessy countered that he was not “editorializing. I just draw what I see.”