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House judiciary committee recommends impeachment of convicted federal judge

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The US House Judiciary Committee voted 29-0 Wednesday to approve four articles of impeachment against US district court judge Samuel Kent based on his conviction for obstruction of justice in connection with the alleged sexual harassment of his secretary and former case manager. The articles charged that Kent had "engaged in conduct ... incompatible with the trust and confidence placed in him as a judge," "corruptly obstructed, influenced, or impeded an official proceeding," and "made material false and misleading statements ... to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," and were recommended to the committee by a special subcommittee on Tuesday. Kent had tendered his resignation to President Barack Obama effective June 2010, but a disciplinary panel from the Fifth Circuit has urged that he be removed more promptly. The articles now go to the full House of Representatives, and if approved, would result in the first impeachment of a federal judge in over 20 years. In February, Kent pleaded guilty to lying to a judicial panel investigating sexual harassment allegations made by his former case manager and legal secretary. He was sentenced in May to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $6,500 in restitution as part of his plea agreement. In 2007, the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted new policies reforming the Model Code of Judicial Conduct, which for the first time included prohibitions against sexual harassment, although some advocacy groups believe these changes do not go far enough.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on June 11, 2009 (boomark / email).