CNN
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William J. Hennessy Jr., a veteran illustrator who gave Americans powerful glimpses into courtrooms during some of the country’s most important legal dramas, died 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 imagine the story unfolding in places where cameras are either not allowed or severely restricted.

In many cases his sketches are the only visual record of these processes.

Hennessy’s death was announced Wednesday by his son, John Paul Hennessy. He died on 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 makes things unique because as much as I think a lot of people would prefer to have a video or a camera on it, what I actually do is, while the questioning is taking place, I assume from every judge, like every judge that asks.” For the next question, I outline this exchange.”

Hennessy was a fixture on the Supreme Court during oral arguments, including the April session in which the justices debated whether Trump should be entitled to immunity from prosecution. But he was also a regular in courtrooms across the country.

Last year, Hennessy outlined the trial of several members of the Proud Boys accused of plotting to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. In 2020, CNN hired Hennessy to sketch the Senate during Trump’s first impeachment, as the chamber’s cameras are controlled by the Senate. And a few years earlier, when then-Trump White House spokesman Sean Spicer banned television cameras from the White House briefing room, Hennessy was there.

A Virginia native, Hennessy attended the Rhode Island School of Design and trained as a visual artist, according to a biography on his website.

Television cameras were never allowed during Supreme Court proceedings and are largely banned in federal court buildings.

Hennessy was often spotted in courthouses wearing colorful ties, while he always wore a patterned button-down shirt at work.

His procedure, as observed by reporters in court, was to sketch the outline of a court scene on a large piece of paper during the hearing. He would then often station himself in a more convenient location around the courthouse to finish his work.

Sometimes he drew further details of the hearing as insets on the same page. He then photographed the illustration piece by piece, allowing news organizations to use separate images showing different views of the scene.

Judges often acknowledged his friendly presence in their courtrooms – having him sit in an open jury box for a better view or even shaking his hand after a trial, as Judge Emmet Sullivan of the D.C. District Court once did to him for his presence to thank Work after a hearing during the early years of the Trump administration.

“Bill was the absolute professional. It was always a pleasure to see him in my courtroom,” Sullivan said upon learning of Hennessy’s death.

Hennessy was often among the first members of the court press to arrive before a newsworthy hearing, and he got to know many of the reporters who covered important cases.

Hennessy is survived by his wife, seven children and 13 grandchildren, his family said.

“Some of the most incredible cases I’ve covered, the most memorable, aren’t necessarily big headlines, but just – the human drama, the courtroom and the events that unfold there are sometimes the most compelling things.”, and it is hard to stay focused and not let the emotions get in the way of it,” Hennessy said in a 2009 interview with PBS News.

CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this report.