A courtroom sketch is an artistic depiction of the proceedings in a court of law. Many court cases in North America do not allow cameras into the courtroom, especially those where the case is high-profile and the presence of the media represents a distraction for the court. However, a sketch artist is typically permitted to be present during even the most sensationalistic proceedings. Working with pencils, pastels, or other sketch-friendly materials, the artist can quickly capture a moment and then sell their work to media outlets who would otherwise be denied a visual record of the trial. A court is an official, public forum which a sovereign establishes by lawful authority to adjudicate disputes, and to dispense civil, labour, administrative and criminal justice under the law. ... The stela of King Hammurabi depicts the god Shamash revealing a code of laws to the king. ... A camera is a device used to take images (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound, such as with video cameras. ... Sketch of Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. ... Look up Artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren once wrote about how sketch pads were less obtrusive than cameras, which are not allowed in federal district courts, "Sketching requires only a writing instrument and a sketch pad, and can be done quite unobtrusively, or even... from memory completely outside the courthouse." The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth- or other countries with an Anglosaxon type of justice, such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of New Zealand, the Supreme... Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was a California district attorney of Alameda County, the 30th Governor of California, and the 14th Chief Justice of the United States (from 1953 to 1969). ... The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... In most counties in the United States the local trial courts conduct their business in a centrally located courthouse which may also house the offices of the county treasurer, clerk and recorder and assessor. ...