With cameras barred from federal courts, sketch artists like Jane Rosenberg and Christine Cornell give the public the only peek into high-profile proceedings.
Pastel by pastel, courtroom sketch artists capture historic moments involving high-profile defendants, attentive judges and impassioned witnesses from gavel to gavel.
Prominent illustrators like Jane Rosenberg and Christine Cornell have been gallery mainstays throughout the often graphic sex trafficking trial of Sean „Diddy“ Combs in Manhattan federal court, where photography and cameras are prohibited.
The aging, shrinking community of quick-thinking artists provides the public its only peek into proceedings that most citizens won’t see, working feverishly to finish up to six pieces per day — depending on the number of people or scenes involved.
„I’m always under pressure“, Rosenberg told Newsweek. „It’s a high-pressure job.“
The prolific sketch started drawing in 1980 and is one of the handful of veteran court documenters in New York, said she’s attended „every single iota“ of Combs‘ ongoing case, including pretrial conferences. Her experience with the hip-hop mogul dates back to his 2001 acquittal on gun possession charges linked to a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub two years earlier.
„He walks into court and he seems like he’s in a great mood when he comes in the room“, Rosenberg said of Combs‘ recent demeanor. „He’s all smiley, waving to people, like throwing kisses, doing little hearts with his hands and hugging each one of his lawyers — every single one of them gets a hug. And he’s all happy in the morning; that’s how he looks.“
Combs, 55, who faces up to life in prison if convicted on the top charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, typically takes a very active role in his defense throughout most proceedings, Rosenberg said.
„He passes a lot of notes during testimony“, she said. „You know, he’s not just sitting there like a lump, I’ll tell you that. He’s paying attention.“
Rosenberg said her approach throughout six weeks of proceedings, including dramatic testimony from Combs‘ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and rapper Kid Cudi, remains unchanged from previous celebrity cases.
