Courtroom Sketching & The Art of Justice

I have heard of courtroom drawings before, and I was thrilled to find this gem. It wasn’t until I got home and opened the front cover when I found that it was given as a gift to my grandfather more than a decade ago. My grandfather, Judge Patrick Fitzpatrick, was a Superior Court Judge in Bergen County, New Jersey, who settled a record 29,722 cases during his career. It was a strange coincidence, and now I was even more excited to learn more about courtroom art. I’m excited to share what I learned with you. 

What is courtroom art?

Courtroom art, or courtroom sketching, has been a tradition in United States history since the Salem witch trials of the 1690s. Before cameras, it was a way for the public to get an idea of what went on in the courtroom for prominent cases. Even with cameras and video today, courtroom sketching is still used by media outlets to give the public a sense of what goes on in the courtroom. Artists like Marilyn Church, Christine Cornell, Gary Myrick get a front row seat to historic cases, and play an important role in capturing the mood, emotions, and story of the trials they observe.

Why aren’t cameras used in courtrooms today?

There is continued debate surrounding the use of cameras and video in the courtroom since the creation of the technology. Through the development of the technology and interest of the media and public, federal and state courts have experimented allowing cameras in their courtrooms.

“The difference between the camera in the courtroom and an artist might be the difference between just a cold dry factual transcript as opposed to a novel.”

Gary Myrick, courtroom sketch artist. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Hw9u3mVaM

Serious debate began in 1935 with the case of State v. Hauptmann, also known as the Lindbergh Kidnapping. Bruno Hauptman was on trial for, and later found guilty of kidnapping and murdering two year old Charles Lindberg Jr, son of a well known American aviator. The trial gained national media attention, and the courts allowed over a hundred camera personnel into the room. They soon found the camera’s flash to be distracting, and the photographers themselves disrupted the trial in order to get good shots. 

Two years later, the American Bar Association forbade the use of cameras in the courtroom. There have been exceptions to this rule, especially to cases gaining national media attention. 

Today the Supreme Court allows states to experiment with cameras in the courtroom. Those against cameras argue that they are distracting, can affect camera shy witnesses, and can create prejudice trial outcomes. Those for the use of cameras counter that cameras allow the public to see what actually goes on in the court, and the extended viewership can make those involved strive for accuracy of facts and be on their best behavior. The debate continues, following the highly publicized OJ Simpson trial of 1995 and more recently with the sensationalized Depp vs. Heard trial of 2022. What remains is the tradition of courtroom artists, capturing not just a moment of the trial, but the intimacy and realities of the people involved in highly vulnerable situations. Marilyn Church says it best in the introduction of her book, “The Art of Justice”, “Sometimes a good drawing can tell more than a photograph – a photograph freezes a fraction of a second, while a drawing can transcend time entirely” (Church, 2006, p. 9).

Justice and Art

“The Art of Justice” is a collection of artwork from Marilyn Church. She began as a fashion illustrator and later became involved with courtroom sketching in 1974. Her work captures the likenesses, emotions, gestures, and mood of subjects she draws. She works with reporters and journalists to capture important moments of the trial. Her work allows the public to get a front row seat of history, and captures what a camera can not.

 Her book takes a look at thirty famous trials from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s that she was able to witness first hand. Her career is based in New York and New Jersey, and thus the majority of the cases highlighted are from this area. The book includes artwork from the cases of Karen Ann Quinlan and the “right to die”, Mark David Chapman (John Lennon’s assassin), as well as O.J. Simpson and the trial of the century. Each chapter provides a background, summary, and details of the case, on top of the artist’s own experience creating each drawing. It is a unique look at the atmosphere of the courtroom through an artist’s eyes.

Conclusion

    Courtroom artwork is an essential part of history. In researching courtroom artists and reading “The Art of Justice”, it is easy to see how important the art form is. If you are interested in learning more about courtroom sketching, or are considering it for your own career, check out the resources and further reading for profiles of artists, articles, and more!

---

Resources and Further Reading

Artists: 

• Marilyn Church – http://www.marilynchurch.com/
• William J. Hennessy JR. – http://www.courtroomart.com/ 
• Gary Myrick – https://courtroomart.webs.com/ 
• Jane Rosenberg – http://www.janerosenbergart.com/index.html  

Books: 

Find these at your local library through worldcat.org!

• “The Art of Justice” by Marilyn Church
• “Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Court Art” by Elizabeth Williams and Sue Russel

Videos:

• Voice of America: Court Artist Marilyn Church Documents History Through Sketches
• Vox: Why we still need courtroom sketch artists
• The New York Times: The Courtroom Sketch Artist | Op-Docs | The New York Times
• Global News: Odd Jobs: Courtroom sketch artist

Articles/ Misc:

• Library of Congress’s Courtroom Illustration Collection
  • Library of Congress: Courtroom Sketches
• The Art Career Project: How to become a courtroom sketch artist
• The New York Times: Sketching the Famous as They Sat in Court
• United States Courts: History of Cameras in Courts
• The First Amendment Encyclopedia: Cameras in the Courtroom
• Britannica: Lindberg Baby Kidnapping, Trial of the Century

---

The HoneyDripper is the Savannah College of Art and Design’s juried comics and illustration blog, dedicated to publishing, promoting, and showcasing the finest in student work.​