Legal News

Impeached!

By Ashby Jones

Judge Sam Kent is in prison, so it’s not like he’s going to be doing a lot of judging in the next 33 months (and we’d venture to guess that inmates aren’t exactly going to turn to him to help settle their disputes). Still, for now, the guy’s still a federal judge, collecting his $174,000 salary.

But his days on the bench seem limited. Friday, the U.S. House impeached Kent, by a vote of 389-0. Click here for the story, from the Houston Chronicle; here, here and here for earlier posts about the Kent situation.

The short story: Kent forced Congress’s hand after he pleaded guilty in February to one to one claim of obstruction of justice for lying about an investigation into claims that he sexually abused two female employees. Last month, he agreed to step down, but not until 2010, which would have allowed him to keep collecting taxpayer money while behind bars.

In response, Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, decried "the games that were played" by Kent.

Kent's refusal to immediately resign his post and relinquish his salary forced the House to take action.

The House has last impeached a federal judge in 1989. A total of 13 judges have faced impeachment proceedings in the House since 1803, seven of whom were subsequently convicted by the Senate and removed from the bench.

The Senate will now try Kent. If convicted, he’ll be removed from the bench.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on June 19, 2009 (boomark / email).