<Tr> <Th> Spouse (s) </Th> <Td> Joan Wolosoff </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> Lauren Wachtler Montclare Marjorie Wachtler Eagan Alison Wachtler Braunstein Philip Wachtler </Td> </Tr> <P> 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 . </P> <P> 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 . </P>

Who said a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich