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Senate removes Louisiana Federal judge
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The Senate voted to remove Louisiana Judge G. Thomas Porteous from the bench.
P o l i t i c o
By SHIRA TOEPLITZ
December 8, 2010
In the midst of a hectic lame-duck session, the Senate diverted its attention
Wednesday to oust a federal judge after a rare impeachment trial and
closed-door deliberations.
The Senate voted to remove Louisiana District Judge G. Thomas Porteous
from the bench after ruling him guilty of all four articles of impeachment,
including charges of corruption.
The historic vote marks only the eighth time in history that a federal judge
has been removed from office by the Senate. The timing of the hearing
was far from convenient. The Senate was visibly preoccupied Tuesday and
Wednesday with the tax-cut deal that President Barack Obama made with
Republicans, but because a quorum is required for the entire impeachment
proceedings, at least half of the Senate was forced to sit in the chamber
for almost the entire day.
The Senate closed its doors to deliberate in a closed session for almost
three hours Tuesday evening before voting Porteous guilty on all four
ounts Wednesday morning. The Senate voted unanimously on the first
article of impeachment that Porteous betrayed his profession, and the
other three articles each passed with at least the minimum two-thirds
support required.
The Senate then voted, 94 to 2, to disqualify Porteous from holding office
ever again in the future.
The four articles of impeachment against Porteous accused him of
conduct “incompatible with the trust placed in him” as a federal judge,
a “longstanding pattern of corrupt conduct that demonstrates his unfitness
to serve” in the role, making false statements related to his bankruptcy
filing, as well as to the Senate and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in
order to secure his seat on the bench.
While some of the charges of corruption were salacious — the most notable
was a lap dance purchased by an attorney for Porteous’s son at his bachelor
party in Las Vegas — the bulk of the proceedings Tuesday dealt with the
judge’s solicitation of cash payments from attorneys with business before
his court. Porteous also had a serious gambling problem that eventually
caused him to file for bankruptcy under a fake name — a charge that was
alleged under the third article of impeachment.
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46134.html
Senate removes Louisiana Federal judge
</font size>
The Senate voted to remove Louisiana Judge G. Thomas Porteous from the bench.
P o l i t i c o
By SHIRA TOEPLITZ
December 8, 2010
In the midst of a hectic lame-duck session, the Senate diverted its attention
Wednesday to oust a federal judge after a rare impeachment trial and
closed-door deliberations.
The Senate voted to remove Louisiana District Judge G. Thomas Porteous
from the bench after ruling him guilty of all four articles of impeachment,
including charges of corruption.
The historic vote marks only the eighth time in history that a federal judge
has been removed from office by the Senate. The timing of the hearing
was far from convenient. The Senate was visibly preoccupied Tuesday and
Wednesday with the tax-cut deal that President Barack Obama made with
Republicans, but because a quorum is required for the entire impeachment
proceedings, at least half of the Senate was forced to sit in the chamber
for almost the entire day.
The Senate closed its doors to deliberate in a closed session for almost
three hours Tuesday evening before voting Porteous guilty on all four
ounts Wednesday morning. The Senate voted unanimously on the first
article of impeachment that Porteous betrayed his profession, and the
other three articles each passed with at least the minimum two-thirds
support required.
The Senate then voted, 94 to 2, to disqualify Porteous from holding office
ever again in the future.
The four articles of impeachment against Porteous accused him of
conduct “incompatible with the trust placed in him” as a federal judge,
a “longstanding pattern of corrupt conduct that demonstrates his unfitness
to serve” in the role, making false statements related to his bankruptcy
filing, as well as to the Senate and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in
order to secure his seat on the bench.
While some of the charges of corruption were salacious — the most notable
was a lap dance purchased by an attorney for Porteous’s son at his bachelor
party in Las Vegas — the bulk of the proceedings Tuesday dealt with the
judge’s solicitation of cash payments from attorneys with business before
his court. Porteous also had a serious gambling problem that eventually
caused him to file for bankruptcy under a fake name — a charge that was
alleged under the third article of impeachment.
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46134.html
