The Supreme Court's strangest media tradition is still running
The Supreme Court's strangest media ritual—the "running of the interns"—is back in 2026. When major rulings land, network interns still sprint printed opinions from the courthouse to correspondents outside, because cameras are banned inside the courtroom. Viral TikTok and X clips from June 30 turned the relay into a national spectacle again. In an era of instant PDFs and push alerts, the supreme courts strangest breaking-news delivery system refuses to stay retired.
Key Takeaways
- On June 30, 2026, Supreme Court interns were filmed sprinting paper copies of major rulings—including birthright citizenship, transgender athletes, and campaign finance—to TV correspondents outside the building.
- The "running of the interns" dates to the print-news era, when hand delivery was the fastest way to move rulings past the courtroom's recording ban.
- Although the Court now posts opinions online within moments—and went fully digital during the pandemic—NBC News once declared the tradition extinct, yet the ritual clearly still has legs.
- Social media reactions range from tearful admiration to mockery, with some users begging sneaker brands to sponsor the scene.
- The spectacle sits at the intersection of nostalgia and digital culture, a reminder of how Washington once raced to break news before the internet.
In 2026, the fastest news delivery system in Washington still appears to be a sweaty intern in sneakers. After the Supreme Court handed down a series of major rulings on June 30—including a landmark decision on birthright citizenship and rulings on transgender athletes and campaign finance limits—interns were once again seen sprinting from the court with printed opinions in hand.
The footage quickly turned into its own internet event, partly because the visual is irresistible and partly because everyone had the same questions: what is this tradition, and why are they still doing this?
What is the "running of the interns"?
Let us introduce the "running of the interns," one of Washington's strangest and most beloved rituals. The tradition has existed in some form for decades, dating back to the print era of Supreme Court coverage. Because recording devices are banned inside the courtroom, hand-delivered opinions were once the fastest way for news organizations to get major rulings from the Court to reporters outside.
That job often fell to interns at media outlets such as CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and other news organizations covering the Court. They would wait for printed opinions inside or near the building, grab copies as soon as they were available, and race them to producers and correspondents stationed outside so their networks could report the decision as quickly as possible.
The routine is simple: interns wait for printed opinions, grab the documents, and race them across the Court plaza to producers and correspondents preparing to go live. It is part breaking news, part relay race, part free cardio. For anyone browsing our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage, the scene feels like a time capsule with sneakers.
When did the running of the interns become a Washington spectacle?
The "running of the interns" became a recognizable Washington media spectacle during the Bush v. Gore case in 2000, when TV networks were racing to report the decision that effectively settled a presidential election. In the years that followed, interns kept running on major decision days, including the 2012 Affordable Care Act ruling and the 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, which popularized the tradition.
June 30, 2026, added another chapter. Cable news interns were photographed running out of the U.S. Supreme Court with the latest ruling for their anchors, sneakers on, documents in hand. TikTok and other platforms turned the sprint into its own internet event all over again.
Why do Supreme Court interns still sprint paper rulings to reporters?
This tradition comes at a very digital time, when the Supreme Court posts opinions online and PDFs are often available within moments of a ruling. The birthright citizenship decision was posted online by SCOTUS the moment it was announced. Push alerts, live blogs, and social posts now travel faster than any intern could.
During the pandemic, from March 2020 to June 2022, the Court actually released opinions exclusively online. Once that became normalized, the old paper relay started to feel less like a breaking-news necessity and more like a relic from another media era. After this shift, NBC News reported that the concept was declared extinct.
Yet the ritual clearly still has legs, and the run is back, both in real life and online. Networks still want physical copies in hand while correspondents go live. Interns still want the glory of being first across the plaza. And the public still wants the drama of watching it happen.
Why does the tradition go viral on TikTok again?
Many online are admiring the tradition—some to the point of tears—and the internsPP's hustle. Others find it absurd and intense. Some are tagging sneaker brands, begging them to turn the scene into an ad. TikTok and X clips from decision day spread faster than the runners themselves, reviving a Washington ritual for a new audience.
In a world where every major ruling instantly becomes a PDF, a push alert, a live blog, and a social post, there is something refreshing about watching young people sprint through the streets in business casual attire, driven purely by their love of breaking news. That tension—analog hustle in a digital newsroom—is exactly why the supreme courts strangest media tradition keeps finding new fans.
As long as the Court bans cameras inside and networks send interns to the steps, Washington will keep its strangest relay—and the internet will keep filming every stride.