‘Oyez, Oyez.’ Supreme Court’s Last Official Crier Dies at 102

George Hutchinson, a Finnegan alumnus who joined the firm in 1985 and remained on staff until 2023, died at age 102. George spent decades serving the federal judiciary, beginning as a Supreme Court page in 1938 before becoming the Court’s last official crier. In that role, he opened Court sessions with the traditional “Oyez, oyez, oyez” and served during a period that included several historic Supreme Court decisions, including Brown v. Board of Education. After leaving the Supreme Court, he went on to serve as marshal and clerk of the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and later became the first clerk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Following his retirement from federal service, George joined Finnegan, where he continued working until the age of 100. Speaking to the Washington Post, Finnegan Managing Partner James Barney said, “I always viewed George as a living history.”

George remained connected to the Supreme Court throughout his life and was recognized in 2018 by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as a member in good standing of the Court’s bar.

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