Seeing justice done.

• Position: Law & Justice - "Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustrations," exhibition

"The ... illustrations on display represent court cases dating from 1964 to the present day, including trials for murder, crime and corruption, terrorism, political activism, and landmark legal issues."

"Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustrations," on view through Oct. 28 at the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C., features original art that captures the drama of high-pro file court cases in the last 50 years.

The exhibition's illustrations--part of the Library's extensive collection of more than 10,000 courtroom drawings--are the work of talented artists hired by both newspapers and broadcast outlets to capture the personal dynamics of legal trials, which for many decades were off-lim Elizabeth Williams, "Bernard Madoff, Going to Jail Post Plea, pastel and watercolor on tan paper (March 12, 2009). its to photographers and television cameras. The artwork brings the theater of the courtroom to life, capturing gestures, appearances, and relationships in a way that humanizes the defendants and plaintiffs, lawyers, judges, and witnesses.

The 98 illustrations on display represent court cases dating from 1964 to the present day, including trials for murder, crime and corruption, terrorism, political activism, and landmark legal issues. Among those depicted are Jack Ruby, James Earl Ray, Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, John Gotti, the Chicago Seven, and Bemie Madoff. Artifacts from the Library's Manuscript Division and Law Library will supplement the drawings from a legal perspective.

Also on view is an introductory video and an interactive video station that show the actual drawings from the exhibition being featured on television nightly news broadcasts. This footage demonstrates the important contribution courtroom illustrators make in bringing the drama of the court--and an understanding of the day's events--into the homes of millions of Americans.

The exhibition begins with the work of Howard Brodie, who popularized reportage style courtroom illustrations with his documentation of the Jack Ruby trial in 1964 for CBS Evening News. Ruby had been charged with killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who allegedly assassinated Pres. John F. Kennedy in 1963. Brodie supported and encouraged the first generation of artists who created the artwork for television and print media. He donated his trial drawings to the Library of Congress, which spurred the development of the courtroom-illustration collections.

In addition to...