John Sirica was the judge in the Watergate scandal. He was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 1957 and served as Chief Judge from 1971 to 1974. He is best known for his role in the Watergate scandal, where he presided over the trials of the Watergate burglars and issued the order that forced President Richard Nixon to turn over the White House tapes. He also ordered the release of the Watergate tapes to the public. His rulings were instrumental in forcing Nixon to resign from office.