Washington Lawyer - May/June 2024 - 40

ON FURTHER REVIEW
Sketching Memorable
Courtroom Moments
By Lloyd Liu
B
ill Hennessy has seen a lot:
Bush v. Gore, the impeachment
of President Bill Clinton,
the Microsoft antitrust trial,
the Iran-Contra affair, the January 6
sedition cases, and everything in
between. As a courtroom sketch
artist for more than 40 years, few
people have spent as much time
in the courtroom as he has.
Hennessy was attending American University
when he first started sketching. Initially, he was
an illustrator for home improvement and repair
manuals. He also illustrated books on parenting
and the Civil War. Then the opportunity arose
to cover court hearings. " It really suited the way
I work, " Hennessy says. " I tend to work very fast.
I'm realistic in how I depict things. I draw what I
see. And I always say I'm pretty impatient, too. "
He initially covered arraignments, preliminary
hearings, and status hearings. From this beat,
he quickly learned what was happening in the
courtroom and to listen for what was critical.
Hennessy's process is a bit of an adrenaline
rush. " People ask if I have a photographic memory.
I don't. If anything, it's a fading photograph.
When a moment appears, it is sudden.
I try to capture it as quickly as I can, especially
the details. " His rendering of the last-minute
settlement of the Dominion Voting Systems
v. Fox News Network defamation lawsuit took
around 15 minutes.
The skilled courtroom artist blends a whole
day's text and subtext into a single frame. As
artist Marilyn Church puts it, " The camera flashes
what happened that second, whereas with
an artist, it's more about [the subject's] atti40
WASHINGTON LAWYER
* MAY/JUNE 2024
tude. " In this way, courtroom
sketchers can be as much journalists
as artists.
" You're tasked with going to this
hearing and capturing the moment, "
Hennessy says. There is an
inherently unpredictable nature to
what will strike him. " Maybe no
one else has seen the defendant
before, or maybe it is someone
who is high profile - just entering
the courtroom might be a sketch. I
look for that. But I also look for the
unexpected thing happening. "
It is his experience in the courtroom that informs
his ability to spot unusual or emblematic
scenes. " I listen pretty intently to what's
being said, " Hennessy says. " I have learned
a lot over the years. I bring my experience and
knowledge of the courtroom and my ability
to capture those moments, especially because
the cameras can't be there. "
In doing so, he has learned a few things about
timing. " I've come to appreciate a lawyer's ability
to communicate and, in terms of performance,
say the right thing at the right time, "
Hennessy says. It is critical that you know what
you're doing, that you do it at the right time.
Even if a jury ultimately is instructed to disregard
it, that seed is now planted, and things
can't get unsaid. "
Hennessy also pays attention to things that
lawyers might not notice or may undervalue.
" I went up just recently for the initial hearing
for [United States v. Robert Hunter Biden]. As the
prosecution team entered the well, Biden
crossed the aisle and shook hands with each
one of them, smiling and thanking them, " Hennessy
says. " It's not unusual for parties to shake
hands at the end of the trial, but I think that
was one of the first times I ever saw a defendant
step over to the prosecution side and
shake hands with everyone. And in this case it
was premature, as the plea agreement fell apart
before the hearing was over. "
Hennessy tries to be very low-key and unnoticed.
But, his presence is still felt. Judges have
elected not to put on their reading glasses because
they do not want to be sketched wearing
them. When Oliver North was indicted in connection
with the Iran-Contra affair, Hennessy
was there. Lawrence Walsh, the independent
counsel who had charged North, was leaving
the courtroom. " [Walsh] saw that we were there
drawing him. He stopped and sort of posed for
us, and I thought, 'Don't do that.' "
Hennessy also receives a number of requests
from participants in the courtroom. " There are
the typical asks: 'Can you give me more hair?'
'Can you make me thinner?' " Others have asked
Hennessy to capture their " good side. " He has
been criticized on social media for making
President Trump look too thin.
But the request Hennessy remembers most is
from an expert witness at a trial. " I was sitting in
an aisle seat, and he was walking up to the jury
box, getting ready to testify. He leaned over to
me and said, 'Make me look credible.' I just remember
thinking, 'Now, that's original.' "
Lloyd Liu is a partner at BLL LLP, where he focuses
on white-collar defense, government investigations,
and complex civil litigation.
Bill Hennessy
Washington Lawyer - May/June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - May/June 2024
