solomon  sol '' wachtler said a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich.
solomon  sol '' wachtler said a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich.
who said a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich?
solomon `` sol '' wachtler
sol wachtler









































solomon "sol" wachtler (born ) is an american lawyer and republican politician from new york. he was chief judge of the new york court of appeals from 1985 to 1992. wachtler's most famous quote, made shortly after his appointment as chief judge, was that district attorneys could get grand juries to "indict a ham sandwich."
sol wachtler
according to the american bar association (aba), the grand jury has come under increasing criticism for being a mere "rubber stamp" for the prosecution without adequate procedural safeguards. critics argue that the grand jury has largely lost its historic role as an independent bulwark protecting citizens from unfounded accusations by the government. grand juries provide little protection to accused suspects and are much more useful to prosecutors. grand juries have such broad subpoena power that they can investigate alleged crimes very thoroughly and often assist the prosecutor in his or her job. grand juries sometimes compel witnesses to testify without the presence of their attorneys. evidence uncovered during the grand jury investigation can be used by the prosecutor in a later trial. grand jurors also often lack the ability and knowledge to judge sophisticated cases and complicated federal laws. this puts them at the mercy of very well trained and experienced federal prosecutors. grand jurors often hear only the prosecutor's side of the case and are usually persuaded by them. grand juries almost always indict people on the prosecutor's recommendation. a chief judge of new york state's highest court, sol wachtler, once said that grand juries were so pliable that a prosecutor could get a grand jury to "indict a ham sandwich." and william j. campbell, a former federal district judge in chicago, noted: "[t]oday, the grand jury is the total captive of the prosecutor who, if he is candid, will concede that he can indict anybody, at any time, for almost anything, before any grand jury."
grand juries in the united states