Litigation

Editorial: ?Give Crooked Judge the Boot?

By Peter Hardin

A Louisiana newspaper isn’t vacillating on an upcoming Senate vote to impeach federal Judge Thomas Porteous. A Times-Picayune editorial, entitled “Bench is not for crooks,” states its views baldly:

“Impeachment is a serious proceeding. But any judge half as corrupt as Thomas Porteous doesn’t belong within a mile of the federal bench. Tolerating his trail of crookedness and lies, which ran well into his federal tenure, would be a terrible blow to the judiciary.”

A good deal of Judge Porteous’ misconduct took place before he was named to the federal bench. His lawyers warn against impeaching him for those actions. But the editorial sides with House impeachment managers who caution against converting the federal judiciary into a “lifetime safe harbor” for someone who concealed past misdeeds during a confirmation process.

The editorial continues unequivocally:

“If Judge Porteous had any dignity he would not have sold himself. And if he had any shame, he would have resigned years ago.

“Instead, he’s chosen to drag the Louisiana judiciary through the mud of his impeachment. Now he wants as a reward a lifetime of fat retirement checks on the taxpayers’ tab. The only dignified response to that is to give this crooked judge the boot — something the Senate can’t do soon enough.”

To learn more about the impeachment case and proceedings, check out Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on November 15, 2010 (boomark / email).