Table of Contents
- 1 What does it mean to indict a ham sandwich?
- 2 Could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich?
- 3 Why would a grand jury indict?
- 4 Who said a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich?
- 5 How often do grand juries indict?
- 6 What is a judge’s hammer?
- 7 What is the difference between charged and indicted?
- 8 What is the origin of the phrase “grand jury would indict a ham?
- 9 Does Thomas Puccio indict a ham sandwich?
What does it mean to indict a ham sandwich?
“Ham sandwich” has become shorthand for district attorneys who abuse their prosecutorial discretion—either by pushing through weak cases, or, as critics have alleged in the Ferguson case, by derailing cases that they don’t want to prosecute for personal reasons.
Could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich?
In one of my favorite books, The Bonfire of the Vanities, author Tom Wolfe quotes New York State chief judge Sol Wachtler who said that “a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich, if that’s what you wanted.”
Can you really indict a ham sandwich?
The name “ham sandwich” is sometimes used (particularly by the New Orleans Police Department) to refer to a firearm planted at a crime scene by police as false evidence.
Why would a grand jury indict?
A grand jury is a group of citizens convened by the federal government to determine if probable cause exists to believe that a person committed a federal crime. Under the United States Constitution, all federal felony charges must proceed with a grand jury indictment.
Who said a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich?
Sol Wachtler
In fact, it’s so easy in most cases that a former New York state chief judge, Sol Wachtler, famously remarked that a prosecutor could persuade a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.”
What happened Sol Wachtler?
Former New York State Chief Judge Sol Wachtler was stabbed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C., where he is serving time for a harassment campaign against his former lover, his family members disclosed yesterday.
How often do grand juries indict?
Based on the influence of the prosecutor, who (other than the court reporter) is the only non-juror present and who selects the evidence to present, various studies have suggested that the rate of indictment by a grand jury ranges from approximately 95\% to approximately 99\%.
What is a judge’s hammer?
gavel Add to list Share. You know that wooden hammer a judge slams down on his desk when he’s trying to bring order to the court? That’s a gavel. Judges aren’t the only ones who use gavels.
Who is the judge in New York?
Janet DiFiore
Chief judges since 1974
| Name | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Judith S. Kaye | March 23, 1993 | December 31, 2008 |
| Jonathan Lippman | February 11, 2009 | December 31, 2015 |
| Eugene F. Pigott Jr. (acting) | January 1, 2016 | January 21, 2016 |
| Janet DiFiore | January 21, 2016 | incumbent |
What is the difference between charged and indicted?
Essentially, the difference between the two depends upon who has filed charges against you. If you have been charged, this means a state or federal prosecutor filed charges against you. If you have been indicted, this means a grand jury has filed charges against you.
“Indict a ham sandwich” This famous modern legal term that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich” — that is, indict anything — began in New York. It was immortalized in the Tom Wolfe novel, Bonfire of the Vanities (1987). “Ham sandwiches” are common sandwiches, cited in print from at least 1806.
What is the origin of the phrase “grand jury would indict a ham?
Hence the saying that a grand jury would indict a ham sandwich. , Former Investigator / Military Veteran & ScamBuster. This phrase was originated by former New York State Chief Judge Sol Wachtler in a 1985 interview with The New York Daily News.
Can Rochester district attorney get grand jury to indict a ham sandwich?
“The district attorney could get the grand jury to indict a ham sandwich if he wanted to,” one Rochester defense lawyer said. Abscam prosecutor Thomas Puccio is a young man who is apt to startle visitors by springing out of his chair and pacing his office. In his Brooklyn domain, he stands guard like St. Peter at the gates of justice.
Does Thomas Puccio indict a ham sandwich?
Washington (DC) Post columnist Jack Anderson wrote on February 23, 1982: “In his Brooklyn domain, he (Thomas Puccio — ed.) stands guard like St. Peter at the gates of justice. He decrees whom his grand juries shall indict. ‘I could,’ he boasted in front of witness, ‘indict a ham sandwich.'”