At the Supreme Court, an all-out sprint for the news
Legal intrigue aside, one of the best parts of the Supreme Court’s annual term is the occasion when television network producers dash out of the courthouse trying to be first to deliver a copy of the court’s decision to correspondents positioned at cameras outside.
The annual sprints have turned the producers—who are sometimes interns—into pseudo sports stars, as photographers positioned outside the courthouse have captured them midair as they race.
Over the years, some producers assigned to be runners have even replaced their usual dress shoes with sneakers. But not everybody dresses down. Dan Stein, an intern for SCOTUSblog, has emerged as one star from this year's sprints, captured in photographs dashing down the courthouse steps in full business attire, his tie flying in the air like an aviator.
Last year’s sprints were visually more interesting—in part because the reporters had to race from a side exit across the front of the Supreme Court steps to reach their networks' live-shot positions. This year’s exit, because of construction, is closer to where the TV networks are doing their live shots, but it hasn’t made the race any less humorous.
After the Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday to throw out part of the Voting Rights Act, a clip of one of the producers running out of the courthouse to cheers was posted on Vine, offering a looping seven-second reminder of what television networks do to bring breaking news to you.
