From the minute Sheldon Silver walked into Manhattan federal court, where he is being tried for alleged corruption, he appeared nervous, out of place. He fidgeted and moved constantly. As a courtroom artist, this proved a challenge. Fortunately, he calmed a bit as the trial went on, but his face and expressions still changed frequently. Arthur Luxenberg, partner of Wietz and Luxenberg, the law firm that paid the former assembly majority leader for seemingly little legal work, stated on the stand that “Mr. Silver doesn’t express his emotions very often.” I thought this ironic because while he may not speak his emotions, he sure shows them.
Elizabeth Williams is a NY based courtroom artist and co-author of The Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Court Art published by CUNY Journalism Press.
