Elena Sassower Jailed For Asking A Question During A Public Judiciary Hearing

On May 22, 2003, Elena Sassower quietly waited through two hours of speeches during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Judicial Confirmation Public Hearing. Sassower respectfully requested to testify and go on record in opposition of President Bush' nomination of NY Court of Appeals Judge, Richard Wesley, for a lifetime federal judgeship. Sassower is a co-founder and coordinator for the NY based Center for Judicial Accountability, Inc., which monitors judicial misconduct. Chairman Senator, Saxby Chambliss adjourned this hearing without asking if anyone present wanted to be heard. Ms. Sassower spoke up and said, "Mr. Chairman, there's citizen opposition to Judge Wesley based on his documented corruption as a New York Court of Appeals judge. May I testify?” No sooner were the words out of her mouth, than the D.C. Capitol Police hand cuffed Ms. Sassower, put her under arrest and incarcerated her for 21 hours. She was eventually prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office and was found guilty of "Disruption of Congress" on April 20, 2004 and sentenced to six months in a Washington D.C. Capitol Jail. Posted by Editor at August 2, 2004 11:56 AM