Running of the Interns
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The Running of the Interns is a Washington, DC, tradition, sometimes called a race,[1] that involves interns of news outlets running to deliver results of major decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States to the press.[2][3] Many media outlets have made note of this, including Buzzfeed, Newsweek, NPR and Cosmopolitan.[4][5][6][7]
History[]
Since 1946, recording devices have been banned inside the courtroom of the United States Supreme Court Building.[8] Thus, hand-delivered, paper copies remain the fastest way for news organizations to receive a particular landmark ruling.
The Supreme Court's decision is printed and delivered to a clerk's office, where it is handed to members of the press. Interns are not credentialed and must therefore wait in the hallway outside the press room.[1] Producers hand the paper copy rulings to their network interns, who sprint to deliver them to their respective organizations. The run itself is approximately 1⁄8–1⁄4 mile (200–400 m), from the courtroom to broadcasters awaiting outside.[9] Supporters and protestors alike cheer on the delivery of the opinions.[10] According to one intern, justices may still be announcing the decision by the time they are back inside.[2]
The interns often run wearing sneakers and business casual suits or skirts in 90 °F (32 °C) heat.[11]
In 2015, the interns were briefly removed after a CNN intern was caught by Supreme Court Police recording video footage with a GoPro camera.[12]
In 2016, interns relayed 13 decisions over three mornings.[1]
Notable decision coverage[]
- Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt[9]
- King v. Burwell[3]
- Obergefell v. Hodges[13]
- McDonnell v. United States[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c d News, CBS. "The 2016 running of the interns". CBS News. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Greenberg, Julia. "Why Supreme Court Interns Still Sprint to Deliver News". Wired. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Dooley, Erin. "Running of the Interns: This Is What a Mad Dash Outside the Supreme Court Looks Like". ABC News. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Benny. "The 2013 Running Of The Interns". Buzzfeed. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Gorman, Michele. "Photos: The Running of the Supreme Court Interns". Newsweek. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Breslaw, Anna. "Wendy Davis' Working Girl Sneaker Is Sweeping the Nation". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Hensley, Scott. "Supreme Court Health Care Ruling Prompts Foot Race In Press Corps". NPR. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Kessler, Robert. "Why Aren't Cameras Allowed at the Supreme Court Again?". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Johnson, Benny. "The 2016 Running of the Interns". Independent Journal Review. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Pilkington, Caitlyn. "What Is The Running Of The Interns?". Women's Running. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Stebner, Beth. "Running of the Interns: News assistants pictured making mad dash to deliver DOMA decision". Daily News. New York. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Byers, Dylan. "CNN's GoPro antics rile Supreme Court". Politico. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Le Conte, Marie. "The 'Running of the Interns' is the weirdest and funniest tradition you've never heard of". metro.co.uk. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
External links[]
- Buzzfeed News: The 2014 Running Of The Interns, June 30, 2014
- Wired.com: Why Supreme Court Interns Still Sprint to Deliver News, June 25, 2015
- CBS News, The 2016 Running of the Interns, June 27, 2016
- Youtube, Running of the Interns, June 26, 2013
- Minnesota Public Radio, The running of the Interns, August 22, 2018
- Youtube, The Five Running of the Interns, Aug 22, 2018
- ABC News, 'Start Here': Running of the interns, June 27, 2018
- Good Morning America, The 'GMA' Gang Performs the 'Running of the Interns', July 1, 2014
- ABC News: Watch Interns Make A Run For It At The Supreme Court, June 26, 2015
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Mass media in Washington, D.C.
- Culture of Washington, D.C.