William Hennessy, a veteran sketch artist who brought courtroom scenes to the nation, has died

William J. Hennessy Jr., a veteran sketch artist who gave Americans striking views from inside courtrooms during some of the nation’s most important legal dramas, died on Monday.

William J. Hennessy Jr., a veteran sketch artist who gave Americans striking views from inside courtrooms during some of the nation’s most important legal dramas, died on Monday. From the Supreme Court to high-profile criminal trials to the Senate chamber during President Donald Trump’s impeachment in 2020, Hennessy’s work allowed the public to picture history unfolding in places where cameras either aren’t allowed or are heavily restricted. In many cases, his sketches are the only visual record of those proceedings. Hennessy’s death was announced Wednesday by his son, John Paul Hennessy. He died Monday, on his 67th birthday. “It’s a different way of recording something,” Hennessy, who worked independently and often sold his sketches to CNN, NBC, Fox and other major news organizations, told CNN in April. “It brings a uniqueness to it, that as much as I think many people would prefer to have a video or camera on it, what I do is actually as the questioning is taking place, I go from each justice, as each justice asks the next question, I go and sketch that exchange.” Hennessy was a fixture at the Supreme Court during oral arguments, including the session in April in which the justices debated whether Trump should be entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution. But he was also a regular in courtrooms across the country.