John Sirica

John Joseph Sirica ( born March 19, 1904 in Waterbury, Connecticut; † August 14, 1992 in Washington, DC) was an American jurist and chief judge of the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia. He was called John maximum, because he announced the highest penalties in the rule.

Sirica attended law school at Georgetown University and earned his Bachelor of Laws degree there in 1926. After that, he worked primarily as a lawyer; 1930 to 1934 he was Deputy Attorney General in the District of Columbia. As a Republican, he was appointed in 1957 by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the District Court of the Federal District.

He became famous because he led the court hearing regarding the Watergate burglars. He believed from the beginning no doubt that the burglars acted alone. Due to the threat of a long prison sentence of co-defendant James W. McCord, Jr., eventually handing the judge a letter.

This letter was read aloud to the judge before the live audience. This confirmed McCord,

Then broke out in the courtroom in a tumult. This letter was the first crack in the cover-up of the White House. Thus, this trial was not the end but the beginning of the scandal.

For Siricas role in the Watergate scandal, he was elected one of Time magazine's Man of the Year 1973. He published in 1979 his experiences to the Watergate scandal in the book To Set the Record Straight.