Two men were charged yesterday with assaulting a U.S. marshal in an incident Tuesday at U.S. District Court here.

The incident centered on a courtroom where three women are suing the government, alleging that they have been imprisoned in a high-security federal facility in Lexington, Ky., because of their political leanings.

According to sources, John Heid, 33, was ejected from the courtroom after he refused to stand when U.S. District Judge Barrington D. Parker entered.

According to an affidavit filed by a marshal, a second man, William Wardlaw, 49, "thrust himself upon" U.S. Marshal William Pickett. Heid also attacked Pickett, the affidavit states. Pickett then "subdued" the two men, according to the affidavit.

U.S. Magistrate Jean F. Dwyer released Heid on his own recognizance yesterday, but refused to release Wardlaw when Wardlaw refused to promise that he would stay away from the federal courthouse.

A preliminary hearing on the case was set for Monday.