John Sirica
John Joseph Sirica (born March 19, 1904 in Waterbury , Connecticut , † August 14, 1992 in Washington, DC ) was an American lawyer and Chief Justice of the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia . He was called Maximum John because he usually pronounced the highest sentence.
Life
John Sirica attended law school at Georgetown University , where he received his Bachelor of Laws in 1926 . After that he worked mainly as a lawyer; from 1930 to 1934 he was assistant federal attorney in the District of Columbia. As a Republican , he was appointed to the District Court of the Federal District by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 .
Role in the Watergate scandal
He became famous for presiding over the Watergate burglar trial. From the beginning he did not believe that the intruders acted alone. Under threat of a long jail sentence, co-defendant James W. McCord, Jr. eventually delivered a letter to the judge.
The judge read this letter aloud to the audience. In it McCord confirmed,
- that the burglars had so far been silent due to political pressure
- that McCord had sworn perjury over it
- that other political figures were involved in the break-in.
A commotion broke out in the courtroom. This letter was the first tear in the White House's cover-up . So this trial was not the end but the beginning of the scandal.
For Sirica's role in the Watergate scandal, he was named Man of the Year 1973 by Time magazine . He published his experiences with the Watergate scandal in the book To Set the Record Straight in 1979 .
Web links
- John Sirica in nndb (English)
- "Maximum-John" in the dilemma , article from November 2, 1973 by Jürgen Kramer on Zeit Online
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sirica, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sirica, John Joseph (full name); Maximum John (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American lawyer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 19, 1904 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Waterbury , Connecticut |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 14, 1992 |
| Place of death | Washington, DC |