Andy Warhol, Prince at center stage in Supreme Court case

WASHINGTON — Andy Warhol and Prince held center stage in a copyright case before the Supreme Court on Wednesday that veered from Cheerios and “Mona Lisa” analogies to Justice Clarence Thomas’ enthusiasm for the “Purple Rain” showman. Justice Thomas on Wednesday asked the foundation’s lawyer, Roman Martinez, whether the foundation would sue him for copyright infringement if he got creative with the Warhol image. “And I decide to make one of those big blowup posters of Orange Prince and change the colors a little bit around the edges and put ’Go Orange’ underneath.” Thomas said he would wave the poster around at games and would market it “to all my Syracuse buddies.” Martinez implied he could sue and Thomas would lose. A decision in the case, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts v. Lynn Goldsmith, 21-869, is expected by the end of June when the Supreme Court typically breaks for its summer recess.