Sol Wachtler - wikipedia Sol Wachtler Sol Wachtler Solomon Wachtler ( 1930 - 04 - 29 ) April 29, 1930 ( age 88 ) Residence Manhasset, New York Nationality American Education B.A. and LL. B. Washington and Lee University. Occupation Attorney, judge Spouse ( s ) Joan Wolosoff Children Lauren Wachtler Montclare Marjorie Wachtler Eagan Alison Wachtler Braunstein Philip Wachtler Solomon `` Sol '' Wachtler ( born ( 1930 - 04 - 29 ) April 29, 1930 ) 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. '' He achieved national notoriety when he was charged with, and then convicted of, acts stemming from threats he made against a former lover, Joy Silverman, and her daughter. Upon conviction, Wachtler served thirteen months in prison and a half - way house.. After his release, Wachtler became an author and critic, as well as an advocate for the mentally ill. Contents 1 Career 2 Criminal charges and resignation 3 Later life 4 Personal life 5 References 6 Sources 7 Further reading 8 External links Career Wachtler graduated with both a B.A. and an LL. B. from Washington and Lee University. He began his political career in 1963, when he was first elected to be a councilman, then Town Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, New York. He was elected to the New York State Supreme Court in 1968, and to the New York Court of Appeals in 1972, where he served for nearly 20 years and authored close to 400 opinions. He was appointed Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in January 1985. The same month as his appointment, Wachtler was quoted by the New York Daily News as saying that `` district attorneys now have so much influence on grand juries that ' by and large ' they could get them to ' indict a ham sandwich. ' '' This quote was then used by Tom Wolfe ( and attributed to Wachtler ) in Wolfe 's 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, paraphrased into `` a grand jury would ' indict a ham sandwich, ' if that 's what you wanted. '' As of 2018, the `` ham sandwich '' phrase remains in common usage in legal discussions. Wachtler 's decision in Chapadeau v. Utica Observer protected the right of the defendant newspaper ( and by extension of the press in general ) to cover issues of public concern without undue exposure to suits for libel. The reasoning of the Chapadeau decision was influential with courts throughout the United States. Also known for the remark, `` A marriage license should not be viewed as a license for a husband to forcibly rape his wife with impunity '' ( in People v. Liberta ), Wachtler was a key figure in making spousal rape a criminal offense. Wachtler wrote the majority opinion in a 1988 right to die case interpreting the statute 's requirement of `` clear and convincing evidence '' that a person who can no longer communicate would have wanted to die in a particular circumstance. The majority opinion set a stricter standard of `` clear and convincing '' than the lower courts, and refused to let a patient 's family withdraw life support. General statements by a person that he or she would not want to live in such a condition are not acceptable under the decision. The decision was criticized by right - to - die organizations as being too strict and unworkable, and taking decision - making away from family members. Wachtler was criticized for writing the decision while his own 86 - year - old mother was recovering from a stroke. His formulation of this higher standard of proof was later adopted by the United States Supreme Court. As Chief Judge, Wachtler served not only as the head the Court of Appeals, but also as the chief administrator for the state court system. He made significant administrative changes, called for the merit selection of judges, implemented streamlined procedures, reduced opportunities for `` judge shopping, '' and reformed the state 's grand jury system. Wachtler also tried to improve women 's and minorities ' access to justice. He created a New York State Judicial Commission for Minority Concerns, a Workforce Diversity Program, and a New York State Task Force on Gender Bias. Criminal charges and resignation In 1988, Wachtler began an affair with Joy Silverman. At the time, Wachtler was a co-executor of the estate of Alvin Wolosoff, Silverman 's stepfather and the uncle of Wachtler 's wife. He was also trustee of four trusts stemming from Wolosoff 's estate for the benefit of Silverman and her family. The trusts ( in aggregate ) were reported to be worth US $24 million at the time. According to then - United States Attorney Michael Chertoff, over time, Wachtler received fees of more than US $800,000 for his work as executor and trustee of the entire estate. After Silverman ended the affair in September 1991, Wachtler began to harass her. Wachtler was arrested on 7 November 1992, on charges including extortion, racketeering, and blackmail. Prosecutors alleged that he demanded a $20,000 blackmail payment in exchange for turning over compromising photographs and tapes of Silverman with her then boyfriend, attorney David Samson. He eventually pleaded guilty to harassing Silverman and threatening to kidnap her daughter. He resigned as a judge and from the bar, and Governor Mario Cuomo appointed Judith S. Kaye to replace him as chief judge of the N.Y.S. Court of Appeals. He served his sentence, first at the medium - security Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, and from December 1993 at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota after he was stabbed in the shoulder while dozing in his cell in November. Wachtler was sentenced to 15 months, but received time off for good behavior. His sentence started 28 September 1993. He was released after serving 13 months. Later Life After his release from prison, Wachtler wrote a prison memoir, After the Madness ( ISBN 0 - 7592 - 4519 - 3 ) and a book of fiction, Blood Brothers ( ISBN 1 - 59007 - 421 - 1 ). He also contributed to the book Serving Mentally Ill Defendants ( ISBN 0 - 8261 - 1504 - 7 ) and has written as a critic - at - large for The New Yorker Magazine. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Touro Law School and Chair of the Law and Psychiatry Institute of North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital. He is an advocate for the mentally ill and has received awards from the Mental Health Association of the State of New York and New York City. Wachtler 's New York law license was restored by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division on October 2, 2007. Personal Life Wachtler lives in Manhasset, New York. Wachtler has four children : attorney Lauren Wachtler Montclare ; Marjorie Wachtler Eagan, a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ; actress and model Alison Wachtler Braunstein ; and real estate developer Philip Wachtler. His daughter, Lauren, married attorney Paul Douglas Montclare in 1983. His son, Phillip Wachtler, is married to Robin Wilpon, daughter of New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon. References Jump up ^ `` Obsession ''. nypdconfidential.com. Jump up ^ Goldman, John J. ( November 11, 1992 ). `` N.Y. 's Chief Judge, Charged With Blackmail, Resigns ''. Los Angeles Times. ^ Jump up to : Levin, Josh ( November 25, 2014 ). `` The Judge Who Coined `` Indict a Ham Sandwich '' Was Himself Indicted ``. Slate Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Van Gelder, Lawrence ( 27 August 1994 ). `` Ex-Judge Wachtler to Move From Prison to Halfway House ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2009. ^ Jump up to : Barry Popik ( July 15, 2004 ). `` Indict a Ham Sandwich ''. The Big Apple ``. Jump up ^ Tom Wolfe ( 1987 ). The Bonfire of the Vanities. Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 0 - 312 - 42757 - 3. Jump up ^ Mariotti, Renato ( August 3, 2017 ). `` Bob Mueller Is Using a Grand Jury. Here 's What It Means ''. Politico Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2018. Jump up ^ Reynolds, Glenn Harlan ( January 20, 2013 ). `` Ham Sandwich Nation : Due Process When Everything is a Crime ''. SSRN. Retrieved April 25, 2018. Jump up ^ Chapadeau v. Utica Observer, 38 N.Y. 2d 196, 341 N.E. 2d 569 ( 1975 ) Jump up ^ Historical Society of the State of New York ( 2007 ). Rosenblatt, Albert, ed. The Judges of The New York Court of Appeals. Fordham University Press. p. 735. Jump up ^ `` People v. Liberta, CVN Law School ''. Retrieved 11 December 2010. Jump up ^ New York 's Highest Court Rejects Family 's Plea in Right - to - Die Case By E.R. SHIPP, New York Times, October 15, 1988 Jump up ^ Excerpts From the Court of Appeals Decision on a Patient 's Right to Die New York Times, October 15, 1988 Jump up ^ New York Rule Compounds Dilemma Over Life Support By LISA BELKIN, New York Times, May 12, 1992 Jump up ^ Gould, David. `` Sol Wachtler, Court of Appeals ( 1973 - 1992 ) ''. The Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved 8 May 2015. Jump up ^ Caher, John ( 1998 ). King of the Mountain. Prometheus Books. p. 123. Jump up ^ Linda, Wolfe ( 1994 ). Double Life. Pocket Books. p. 246. ^ Jump up to : McQuiston, John T. ( 19 March 1993 ). `` Wachtler and Silverman Clash on Control of Trust ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2009. Jump up ^ Dillon, Sam ( 15 November 1992 ). `` Wachtler Role at Issue In Dispute Over a Will ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` Estate Fee To Wachtler Is $800,000 ''. The New York Times. 27 August 1993. Retrieved 18 January 2009. Jump up ^ Barbanel, Josh ( 2 February 1993 ). `` Wachtler Charged in Indictment Detailing Harassment Campaign ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2009. Jump up ^ Plotz, David. `` Judicial Restraint : Sol Wachtler 's worthy sentiments on prison. '' Slate.com April 16, 1997 Jump up ^ New York Times : `` As Inquiry Widens, Port Authority Chief May Lose His Low Profile '' by Russ Buettner and William K. Rashbaum January 15, 2014 Jump up ^ Press, Associated ( 23 October 1994 ). `` Ex-Judge Wachtler 's Early Release From Halfway House Denied '' -- via LA Times. Jump up ^ Peter Lattman, Sol Wachtler Got His Law License Back, Wall Street Journal ( October 3, 2007 ). Jump up ^ New York Courts : Historical Society of the new York Courts : `` SOL WACHTLER 1930 - Court of Appeals : 1973 - 1992 Chief Judge : 1985 - 1992 '' by David Gould retrieved May 20, 2017 Jump up ^ New York Times : `` Lauren Wachtler Is Married '' June 27, 1983 Jump up ^ Richard Sandomir, Mets Are Prominent on the Madoff List, but Say They 're Fine, New York Times ( February 5, 2009 ). Jump up ^ Long Island Business News : `` The son in law also rises '' March 31, 2006 Sources The Political Graveyard, Wachtler, Sol Further reading Caher, John M. ( 1998 ). King of the mountain : the rise, fall, and redemption of Chief Judge Sol Wachtler. Prometheus Books. ISBN 978 - 1 - 57392 - 197 - 8. OCLC 38024213. Wolfe, Linda ( 1994 ). Double Life : The Shattering Affair Between Chief Judge Sol Wachtler and Socialite Joy Silverman. Pocket Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 671 - 87480 - 3. OCLC 30931051. External links Gould, David. `` Sol Wachtler ''. New York Legal History / The Bench & The Bar. Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved March 8, 2013. The Infinite Mind interview A film clip `` The Open Mind - A Jurist Looks at the Law ( 1975 ) '' is available at the Internet Archive Legal offices Preceded by Lawrence H. Cooke Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals 1985 -- 1993 Succeeded by Richard D. Simons Acting Chief Judges of the New York Court of Appeals Jewett Bronson Ruggles Gardiner Denio Johnson Comstock Selden Denio Davies Wright Hunt Earl Church Folger Andrews Ruger Earl Andrews Parker Cullen Bartlett Hiscock Cardozo Pound Crane Lehman Loughran Lewis Conway Desmond Fuld Breitel Cooke Wachtler Simons * Kaye Lippman DiFiore LCCN : n85071207 SNAC : w6321zcb VIAF : 38342120 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sol_Wachtler&oldid=838140476 '' Categories : 1930 births Living people American memoirists 20th - century American novelists Chief Judges of the New York Court of Appeals New York Supreme Court Justices Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni People with bipolar disorder People from Manhasset, New York New York ( state ) Republicans American male novelists New York ( state ) politicians convicted of crimes Touro College faculty Novelists from New York ( state ) State and local political sex scandals in the United States Hidden categories : Articles with hCards All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from January 2018 Articles with permanently dead external links Articles with Internet Archive links Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Place of birth missing ( living people ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 April 2018, at 05 : 08. About Wikipedia

Question: who said a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich
Answer: Solomon "Sol" Wachtler