Saturday Night Massacre
E616
The Saturday Night Massacre was the 1973 constitutional crisis during the Watergate scandal in which President Richard Nixon ordered the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, prompting the resignations of top Justice Department officials.
Aliases (1)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
constitutional crisis
→
political scandal event → |
| cause |
attempt to limit Watergate investigation
→
|
| chronologicalOrder |
occurred during Watergate scandal
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| date |
1973-10-20
→
|
| describedBySource |
U.S. congressional records
→
contemporary news reports → historical analyses of Watergate → |
| followedBy |
legal challenges to Nixon's actions
→
renewed congressional investigations into Watergate → |
| hasAlias |
Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre
→
|
| hasEffectOn |
balance of powers between executive and judiciary
→
independence of special prosecutors → public trust in government → |
| hasParticipant |
Archibald Cox
→
Elliot Richardson → Richard Nixon → Robert Bork → William Ruckelshaus → |
| historicalPeriod |
Cold War era United States politics
→
|
| legalContext |
special prosecutor's investigation into Watergate
→
|
| location |
Washington, D.C.
→
|
| mediaCoverage |
major American newspapers
→
television news in the United States → |
| namedAfter |
its occurrence on a Saturday night
→
|
| officeInvolved |
Office of the Attorney General
→
Office of the Deputy Attorney General → Office of the Solicitor General → President of the United States → United States Department of Justice → |
| partOf |
Watergate scandal
→
|
| precededBy |
subpoenas for White House tapes
→
|
| result |
dismissal of Archibald Cox as special prosecutor
→
eventual appointment of new special prosecutor Leon Jaworski → increased calls for Richard Nixon's impeachment → public outcry against Nixon administration → resignation of Attorney General Elliot Richardson → resignation of Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus → strengthening of perception of presidential abuse of power → temporary appointment of Robert Bork as acting Attorney General → |
| significantFor |
U.S. constitutional law
→
history of Watergate scandal → presidential accountability → |
| topic |
executive privilege
→
rule of law in the United States → separation of powers → |
| triggeredBy |
order by Richard Nixon to fire Archibald Cox
→
|
| year |
1973
→
|
Referenced by (10)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Archibald Cox
→
Elliot Richardson → United States Watergate Special Prosecutor → |
notableEvent |
|
Robert Bork
→
William D. Ruckelshaus → |
participatedIn |
|
Nixon administration
→
Watergate scandal → |
significantEvent |
|
Saturday Night Massacre
("Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre")
→
|
hasAlias |
|
William D. Ruckelshaus
→
|
participantIn |
|
White House tapes
→
|
relatedTo |