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This is just interesting trivia, but the House and Senate can both ask their respective Sergeant at Arms to perform an arrest. This has never happened as far as

This is just interesting trivia, but the House and Senate can both ask their respective Sergeant at Arms to perform an arrest. This has never happened as far as I know, but from my reading seems to be permissible for a failure to appear. There are plenty of logistical issues. I'm not sure the Sergeant at Arms even owns handcuffs, much less a place to keep people being held, and I'm sure it would suddenly become a huge scandal - but it would be very interesting.

investinwaffles 6y ago
In 1934, a man named William P. MacCracken Jr. was held overnight at a local hotel before being transferred to a DC jail. There is no actual jail on premises.
scott00 6y ago
In 1922, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms deputized someone who then traveled to Ohio and arrested the brother of the sitting Attorney General after he ignored a Senate subpoena and was cited for contempt of Congress. The arrest was upheld by the Supreme Court in McGrain v. Daugherty in 1927. In 1934, the Senate cited two men for contempt of Congress and sentenced them to 10 days in the DC jail. One, William P. MacCracken, Jr, fought the case in court, eventually losing in the Supreme Court case Jurney v. MacCracken of 1935. He served one night of his sentence in the home of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and another in the Willard hotel... I was unable to figure out if he ever actually ended up in the DC jail.
- vorpalhex 6y ago
  > He served one night of his sentence in the home of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms "Sir, this is my guest room, please don't break the window trying to escape or my wife will be the one deputized to recapture you."
dragonwriter 6y ago
> I'm not sure the Sergeant at Arms even owns handcuffs Maybe not, but the House and Senate Sergeants-at-Arms jointly supervise the Capitol Police, whose officers I'm sure either can deputize at need. I'm fairly certain that the Capitol Police both have and are intimately familiar with the use of the whole panoply of law enforcement gear.

investinwaffles 6y ago

In 1934, a man named William P. MacCracken Jr. was held overnight at a local hotel before being transferred to a DC jail. There is no actual jail on premises.

scott00 6y ago

In 1922, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms deputized someone who then traveled to Ohio and arrested the brother of the sitting Attorney General after he ignored a Senate subpoena and was cited for contempt of Congress. The arrest was upheld by the Supreme Court in McGrain v. Daugherty in 1927. In 1934, the Senate cited two men for contempt of Congress and sentenced them to 10 days in the DC jail. One, William P. MacCracken, Jr, fought the case in court, eventually losing in the Supreme Court case Jurney v. MacCracken of 1935. He served one night of his sentence in the home of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and another in the Willard hotel... I was unable to figure out if he ever actually ended up in the DC jail.

vorpalhex 6y ago
> He served one night of his sentence in the home of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms "Sir, this is my guest room, please don't break the window trying to escape or my wife will be the one deputized to recapture you."

dragonwriter 6y ago

> I'm not sure the Sergeant at Arms even owns handcuffs Maybe not, but the House and Senate Sergeants-at-Arms jointly supervise the Capitol Police, whose officers I'm sure either can deputize at need. I'm fairly certain that the Capitol Police both have and are intimately familiar with the use of the whole panoply of law enforcement gear.