Hi and welcome back to Bench Report! I’m coming to you live from the Amtrak quiet car, the most zen place on the planet. Apologies for the late send on this newsletter (we can blame the Amtrak wifi, right?). Send your news, tips and feedback to [email protected] and follow me on Twitter at @jacq_thomsen.

Reporter’s Notebook: Inside the Charlottesville Courtroom

U.S. Federal Building in Charlottesville, VA. Photo: Jacqueline Thomsen/ALM

Thursday marked opening statements in the civil jury trial about the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, four years ago in August of 2017. I wrote a bit about my experience going to the federal courthouse for the start of the trial and the security and covid protocols in place, but on Thursday I was the only reporter in the courtroom.