NBC Mainstay Who Covered Supreme Court to Retire

Pete Williams, an NBC News correspondent for 29 years who regularly appeared on camera quickly to report on major US Supreme Court decisions, is retiring from the network. "For generations of NBC News reporters, working alongside Pete has been a daily masterclass in journalism," NBC News President Noah Oppenheim wrote to employees Thursday. "But perhaps more importantly, it has been a masterclass in what it means to be a good colleague." Colleague Andrea Mitchell said, "I will miss Pete more than anything," per the Washington Post.

Williams began in TV in Wyoming, his home state. He moved to Washington in 1986 to work for the state's House member, Dick Cheney. When Cheney became vice president, Williams was hired as the Pentagon's spokesman. Analysts were wary when he returned to journalism, a rare move, to join NBC in 1993, but his work earned praise. The Atlantic wrote that his coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, including his care in identifying the suspects, consisted of "clear, careful, accurate reporting in a sea of media confusion." His reporting is "down the middle," Mitchell said. Williams, 70, covered the Justice Department for NBC as well. His retirement takes effect in July. (More NBC News stories.)