The Judge Who Sits in the Prisoner’s Dock

The Honorable Denny Chin is the judge who presided over the Madoff case. Outside of the court, Judge Chin has taken an interest in reenacting famous trials from American history.

One example is the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were accused of passing atomic secrets to the Russians in the 1940s. Chin read the original transcripts, and wrote a script for a reenactment of the original trail.

Chin’s team wanted him to play Judge Irving Kaufman, the presiding judge. Instead, Chin chose to play Julius Rosenberg, the accused.

Chin sat in the prisoner’s dock. He had only one line. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, “No, your honor.” He was then pronounced guilty and sentenced to death.

It’s strange for a judge to sit as a prisoner, to be found guilty and sentenced to death. But it was only a play.

Jesus, the Judge, also chose to sit in the prisoner’s dock. When asked, he said nothing in his defense. He was pronounced guilty and executed even though he did nothing wrong. And it wasn’t a play.

Jesus is the Judge who sat in the prisoner’s dock for real. What a Judge. What a Savior.

Thanks to Studio 360 for the story of the Judge Chin.