House Judiciary Committee Sends Impeachment Articles for Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr. to the House
Congressional Desk
January 28, 2010
Washington, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee Task Force on Judicial Impeachment chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and ranking member Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), presented the case for impeachment of Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana to the full Judiciary Committee. After the presentation, the Judiciary Committee unanimously approved four impeachment articles relating to Judge Porteous. Judge Porteous would be only the 15th federal judge in the nation´s history to be impeached in the House. The full House is expected to consider the impeachment articles in the next few weeks.
"For our system of justice to work properly, the public must have confidence that its judges will weigh the facts and administer the law impartially, without deriving personal benefit or advantage from litigation before them," said Schiff. "Judge Porteous´s conduct and the corrupt relationship he had with others deprived the public of the honest services it has every right to expect from a judicial officer. His continued service on the bench is incompatible with the public trust and warrants the extraordinary step of impeachment."
"The impeachment of a federal judge is a very infrequent occurrence within the Halls of Congress," said Rep. Goodlatte. "It is a power that Congress utilizes only in cases involving very serious allegations of misconduct. Following an exhaustive investigation by the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment, it became clear that Judge Porteous engaged in misconduct that warranted the issuance of articles of impeachment against him. The Task Force and the House Judiciary Committee worked together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that swift action was taken against Judge Porteous in an effort to restore the people´s confidence in our nation´s courts."
Following an initial investigatory phase, the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment held four separate evidentiary hearings over five days in November and December 2009, in order to determine whether Judge Porteous´s conduct provides a sufficient basis for impeachment and to develop a record upon which to recommend whether to adopt Articles of Impeachment. This investigation led the Task Force to unanimously approve four articles of impeachment citing evidence that Judge Proteous intentionally made material false statements and representations under penalty of perjury, engaged in a corrupt kickback scheme, solicited and accepted unlawful gifts, and intentionally misled the Senate during his confirmation proceedings.
"For our system of justice to work properly, the public must have confidence that its judges will weigh the facts and administer the law impartially, without deriving personal benefit or advantage from litigation before them," said Schiff. "Judge Porteous´s conduct and the corrupt relationship he had with others deprived the public of the honest services it has every right to expect from a judicial officer. His continued service on the bench is incompatible with the public trust and warrants the extraordinary step of impeachment."
"The impeachment of a federal judge is a very infrequent occurrence within the Halls of Congress," said Rep. Goodlatte. "It is a power that Congress utilizes only in cases involving very serious allegations of misconduct. Following an exhaustive investigation by the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment, it became clear that Judge Porteous engaged in misconduct that warranted the issuance of articles of impeachment against him. The Task Force and the House Judiciary Committee worked together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that swift action was taken against Judge Porteous in an effort to restore the people´s confidence in our nation´s courts."
Following an initial investigatory phase, the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment held four separate evidentiary hearings over five days in November and December 2009, in order to determine whether Judge Porteous´s conduct provides a sufficient basis for impeachment and to develop a record upon which to recommend whether to adopt Articles of Impeachment. This investigation led the Task Force to unanimously approve four articles of impeachment citing evidence that Judge Proteous intentionally made material false statements and representations under penalty of perjury, engaged in a corrupt kickback scheme, solicited and accepted unlawful gifts, and intentionally misled the Senate during his confirmation proceedings.
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