Henry W. Goddard

The judge of the second Hiss trial was a Republican appointed to the bench by President Warren G. Harding in the early 1920s. Goddard  was criticized by Alger Hiss and his attorneys for a series of rulings they said were unfair to the defense. He allowed the testimony of Edith Murray, Chambers' alleged maid, as a rebuttal witness at the end of the trial instead of as a direct witness, which prevented the defense from preparing an effective cross examination. He also allowed Hede Massing to testify after Judge Samuel Kaufman barred her from the first trial. 

According to Tony Hiss's Laughing Last, Goddard napped frequently during the trial. Goddard seated the vocal conservative Alice Longworth Roosevelt (President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter) and her niece in front of the jury. The pair made a practice of smiling and nodding their heads whenever the prosecutor would make a point and frowning when defense attorneys made theirs.

In 1952, Goddard denied the defense's motion for a new trial, not even allowing a hearing on the matter, despite a huge amount of new evidence turned up by the Hiss team after his conviction.