Running of the interns
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 particularly landmark ruling.
The Supreme Court's decision is printed from a clerk's office and 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 (0.20–0.40 km), from the courtroom to broadcasters awaiting outside.[9] Supporters and protestors alike cheer on the delivery of the verdicts.[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 2015, Fast Company interviewed the "winner" of that year's run, CNBC intern Lauren Langille, who was first to deliver the results of King v. Burwell and Obergefell v. Hodges.[13]
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[14]
- McDonnell v. United States[1]
References
- ^ a b c d News, CBS. "The 2016 running of the interns". CBS News. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
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has generic name (help) - ^ 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.
- ^ Feller, Madison. "Career Advice From The Nation's 'Fastest' Intern". Fast Company. 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.