ORDER IN THE COURT: I WANT MORE HAIR!

I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, so anyone with any kind of artistry has my admiration immediately. Great read at messynessychic.com - The Overlooked Art (and Drama) of Courtroom Sketching, by Mary Kay McBrayer.

For some trials, courtroom sketches are the only images the public ever sees. Photography in courtrooms has been banned since 1935, following the infamous media circus that surrounded the Lindbergh baby’s kidnapping trial. In 1944, Rule 53 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure was enforced, prohibiting photographing and broadcasting inside a courtroom. Still, anxiety about job security is a feature of the industry. “Since I became a courtroom artist, I’ve always thought cameras are going to be in court any minute,” Rosenberg revealed. “And they did pass a bill in 1988 to allow cameras [in New York state courts], and I thought, ‘That’s it. It’s all over for me.’ However, it didn’t hold true in all New York state cases.” One courtroom artist, Christine Cornell, says that the whole front of the courtroom used to be full of sketch artists. The legalization of courtroom photography for New York State in 1988, she says, eviscerated the industry. “Now, there are just a few of us. The industry changed, but there’s still crime.”

Milk, eggs, and murder!!! Life’s guarantees!