Monday, March 15, 2010
Thomas Porteous (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Not a single member of the House of Representatives objected to the impeachment of Judge G. Thomas Porteous, making him the 15th judge indicted by Congress since the founding of the country. Lawmakers voted 412-0, 410-0, 416-0 and 423-0 on the four articles of impeachment brought against Porteous, who serves on the U.S. District Court in New Orleans.
The 16-year veteran of the federal bench has been accused of hiding relationships with lawyers who represented clients in Porteous’ court. The impeachment articles say he accepted money, meals and other gifts from attorneys and a bail bond company, and that he lied in a personal bankruptcy filing. Porteous was appointed by President Bill Clinton.
A 12-member Senate committee will now try Porteous, but it will take a two-thirds vote of the full Senate to have him removed.
Of the 15 judges to be impeached since 1803, five have been in the last 25 years. The most recent case was that of George H.W. Bush appointee Samuel Kent of Texas, who resigned before he could be tried. Kent is currently serving a prison serve for obstruction of justice after being accused of sexual abuse.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Impeached Judge Thomas Porteous Will Be Tried by Senate Committee (by John Kelly, New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Judge Thomas Porteous Impeached by U.S. House of Representatives (by Bruce Alpert, New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Judge Thomas Porteous: Summary of 4 Articles of Impeachment Approved (by Bruce Alpert, New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Imprisoned Judge Tries to Continue Collecting $174,000 Salary (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Federal Officials Impeached (Wikipedia)
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