The Historical Society of the District of Columbia Circuit is hosting a series of reenactments relating to the Scooter Libby trial. Hree is the Society's announcement:
What is it like to prosecute or defend a high-profile false statements / perjury case in the D.C. Circuit?
Join us on June 10, 2026 (4:30 pm – 6:00 pm) in the Ceremonial Courtroom for an inside look at one of the most prominent false statement cases in our court in the past twenty-five years – the “Scooter” Libby Trial.
The year was 2003. The Iraq War had just begun – with great controversy. President Bush in his State of the Union speech said that Iraq had recently engaged in an effort to obtain uranium from Africa. In June, reports began to surface that a former Ambassador had been dispatched to Africa in 2002 but found nothing to support the rumors. Shortly thereafter, press reports named his wife, Valerie Plame, as having been involved in sending him to Africa, and “outing” her as an employee of the CIA. An investigation of the leak began, and ultimately led to an indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, for making false statements to the FBI and Grand Jury during the investigation. In early 2007, an all-star prosecution team faced off with an all-star defense team in a 7-week trial before Judge Reggie B. Walton. After 8 days of deliberations, the jury found Libby guilty on 4 of 5 counts. This program will explore in detail the challenges that lawyers and judges face in high profile false statement cases, including simulated dramatizations of the initial FBI interviews, a prosecution team meeting on whether to indict, a defense meeting on strategy, the Judge’s thoughts about difficult trial issues ahead, and jury deliberations. Several original members of the trial teams, and Judge Walton, along with others will participate in the dramatizations.
We hope you can join us. Please register here.
--Dan Ernst
