The Associated Press by SUZANNE GAMBOA - June 19, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC – The House on Friday impeached a federal judge imprisoned for lying about sexual assaults of two women, in the first such vote since impeaching former President Bill Clinton a decade ago. The impeachment of U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent of Texas sets up a trial in the Senate. Kent is the first federal judge impeached in 20 years. The House approved four articles of impeachment against Kent accusing him of sexually assaulting two female employees and lying to judicial investigators and Justice Department officials. All four articles passed unanimously. "The conduct at issue here is both shocking and shameful," Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said at the start of the debate. Kent, 59, entered a federal prison in Massachusetts on Monday to serve a 33-month sentence. He pleaded guilty last month to lying to judicial investigators about sexual assaults of two female employees. Kent is refusing to resign until next year so he can continue to draw his $174,000 a year salary. If he is convicted of the impeachment charges in the Senate, he will be forced off the bench. When contacted for comment, Kent's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, cited an earlier statement in which he said Kent's troubles might be enough for impeachment in the House but would not produced conviction in the Senate. Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said he was not unsympathetic to Kent, who has said he has suffered depression since his first wife's death and had problems with alcohol abuse. But Smith said Kent does not have the right to continue as a federal judge and collect his salary.
"It is now time for justice: justice for the American people who have been exploited by a judge who violated his oath of office," Smith said. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Florida, sat in the chamber early in the debate. Hastings was acquitted of bribery charges as a federal judge, but later impeached by the House in 1988. The Senate convicted him on similar impeachment charges. The Senate found Clinton not guilty on his impeachment charges. As part of his plea bargain, Kent admitted that he tried to force Cathy McBroom, his former case manager, into unwanted sex acts in 2003 and 2007, and did the same with Donna Wilkerson, his secretary, from 2004 through at least 2005. The Associated Press does not normally name alleged victims of sexual abuse. But McBroom's lawyer and her family have used her name publicly in discussing the case. Wilkerson knew her lawyer gave her name to reporters during Kent's trial. Both women also testified before the House committee. He must participate alcohol-abuse program while in prison. He also was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $6,550 in restitution to the secretary and case manager whose complaints resulted in the first sex abuse case ever against a sitting federal judge. Kent was nominated to the bench by President George H.W. Bush and has served since 1990.
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3 comments:
I had a judge removed for horrific acts just as bad, if not worse than this...back in the 90's. This above is disgusting and worthy of impeachment for sure....no question and surprisingly to me, completely prosecuted.
The state judge in my case was de-bencheed..only...and still practices law in the same corrupt manner as he did judicially.
My judge accused me of extortion and went on the 6:00 PM news to announce it and wrote a letter that this large upstate paper printed without comment from me.....even though no one from the Police Dept, FBI or prosecutors office ever questioned that story, which was absolutely untrue.
He also accused me of creating all the stories in the charges and said he had medical reasons for touching me and chasing me in his office, which was also a method for trying to get my attention to do some work for him...and the false tales go on and on!
My point is that this judge was never dis-barred or charged with perjury, as the legal community..esp female attys could have cared less and the upstate NY CJC thought that getting him to lose his job...was work enough for them!
I still say that perjury is the crime used selectively to screw with someone that the oversight powers see...as a person they might use to enhance their position, when prosecuting this rarely used crime!
If perjury is so offensive to everyone...then why is it not prosecuted whenever it is committed.
I have several OCA employees and judges that have spoken and written statements replete with lies in my present case...esp the altered transcript and depos.
Perjury is still being encouraged in every form of discovery by the OCA administrators and judges ....to secure their fake and lie ridden case.
I have a depo this week with the administrative judge's assistant...and I fully expect this lawyer to lie in every catergory regarding every question!
I even had the local Police Commissioner..whose job it is to weed out lies in order to locate the real criminal.... and he lied in most of his testimony. He thought nothing of it..until I remarked to him about his lies after the depo and he looked down and spit a little from his lips... very shocked that I would speak of those lies in front of both counsel.
OCA is attempting every avenue of perjury, so the public embraces their lies as the truth...and you the public must believe them... because they are the court and your delusion remains in tact...thinking that the court cannot and will never lie!
If perjury is not used when it is always committed...dump it. Charges used only when the deft is hated is most definitely unconstitutional!
Lie away OCA...I have the proof to support my truth and prosecute your lies....if the right person is ethical enough to pursue it.
More examples of bad judges seeing justice will mean MORE JUSTICE for ALL.
IMPEACH them all! Show me an honest one!
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