John Sirica – 1904-1992

The undistinguished chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Sirica was thrust into the national spotlight when he presided over the trial of the Watergate burglars (Nixon’s “Plumbers”) in 1973. His demand that President Richard M. Nixon turn over his tape recordings of White House conversations triggered the Constitutional crisis that precipitated Nixon’s downfall and resignation.