Word: boldt
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...Seattle trial began last November 23 and lasted eight days. On the ninth day, the defendants delayed their entrance into the courtroom by about 15 minutes. District Judge George E. Boldt responded by finding them all in contempt and declaring a mistrial: he said that the defendant's contempt had prejudiced the jury to the point that they could not receive a fair trial. He made the contempt and mistrial decisions summarily, with out holding hearings...
...orderly when it began last month. The defendants, to be sure, were self-styled revolutionaries, clenching their fists defiantly and spouting obscenities at law enforcement officials to prove their credentials. Still, many observers felt that able defense attorneys like Michael Tigar (TIME, Dec. 14) and a cautious judge like Boldt could control any courtroom antics...
...when six of the defendants* refused to enter the courtroom because their partisans had been denied entry to the courthouse lobby, Tigar and the other defense lawyers stood by helplessly. Judge Boldt demanded that the defendants enter. When they balked, he declared a mistrial and cited them for "one of the most inexcusable and outrageous incidents of contempt of court that I have ever read about or learned...
Immediate Action. Equally upset, Tigar called the judge's ruling "a patently transparent attempt to deny defendants the rights vindicating their innocence." Some legal observers questioned the necessity of a mistrial. Boldt could have continued the trial with the defendants in custody or awaiting the start of their contempt sentences. It was never clear that the jury had been prejudiced by the defendants' absence from the courtroom. Some jurors even expressed disappointment that they had not been able to see the trial through...
Even so, the judge did precisely what Judge Julius Hoffman was criticized for not doing in the similar Chicago Seven conspiracy trial last year. Instead of nailing the defendants for contempt after the trial, as Hoffman did, Boldt acted at once. As for the defendants, if their appeals fail, they variously face from six months to a year in jail to ponder their courtroom manners...