Waco, Texas (where Potts, Rogers, and Horiuchi
were prominently involved), Ruby Ridge prompted
wide public concern that federal law-enforcement
agencies were dishonest, out of control, and reck-
lessly violent.
In 1995, the government paid $3.1 million to
Weaver and his three surviving children in an out-of-
court settlement. In 1997, after the federal govern-
ment refused to prosecute any of its employees for
their actions at Ruby Ridge, or for perjury, the
Boundary County, Idaho, district attorney charged
Horiuchi with the voluntary manslaughter of Vicki
Weaver and charged Harris with the killing of
Degan. The charges against Harris were dismissed
that year. Horiuchi’s lawyers had the case trans-
ferred from Idaho state court to federal district
court. In 1998, the federal district court dismissed
the charges on the grounds that Horiuchi, as a fed-
eral employee, was immune from prosecution for
state law crimes.
Subsequent Events On June 5, 2001, an en banc
panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Cir-
cuit reversed the district court’s decision. However,
the prosecutor then had all the charges dismissed.
In 2000, the federal government paid Harris
$380,000 in compensation.Further Reading
Bock, Alan W.Ambush at Ruby Ridge: How Government
Agents Set Randy Weaver Up and Took His Family
Down. Irvine, Calif.: Dickens Press, 1995. Fair and
thoroughly researched history of the incident.
Spence, Gerry.From Freedom to Slaver y: The Rebirth of
Tyranny in America.New York: St. Martin’s Press,- The famed attorney who won Weaver’s
acquittal examines many issues, including the
Weaver case.
U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary.
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and
Government Information.The Federal Raid on
The Nineties in America Ruby Ridge shoot-out 731
Supporters of Randy Weaver and his family in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, hold signs protesting the FBI’s actions.(AP/Wide World Photos)