G. Thomas Porteous: Impeached & Removed

The United States Senate found G. Thomas Porteous, who was a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, guilty on four articles of impeachment.

This makes Porteous only the eighth federal judge to be impeached and removed by the Congress in our nation's history.

I watched some of his trial in the Senate. I had mixed feelings about what the House had done, when it impeached Porteous, but after I learned more about the charges, I felt they were justified. Porteous was a corrupt judge who had his hand out for pay-offs and kick-backs. While the U.S. Constitution shielded Porteous from crimes he may have committed before being confirmed to the court in 1994 by the Senate, it did not shield him, however, from crimes he committed as a sitting federal judge.

To wit:

Judge Porteous, and his wife, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in 2000. As a condition of their relief, the Porteouses were barred from incurring future debt for a period of one year, without consent of the Bankruptcy Court. Porteous, who was a habitual gambler, secured lines of credit from various casinos and other gambling establishments over the course of the year, which was a direct and flagrant violation of the court's order. In addition, Judge Porteous concealed a personal checking account from the Bankruptcy Court, which he used to pay off his incurred gambling debts. He further used the checking account to shield money from the court.

Although the House Managers argued that Porteous, who was a Louisiana state judge, committed perjury during his testimony to the Senate regarding his confirmation hearing in 1994, I do not find that constitutes an impeachable offense. It was the duty of the Senate to investigate and then either reject or confirm the President's nominee. In this case, the Senate confirmed the nominee (warts and all). The Constitution, though, could not provide protection for Porteous, as he did knowingly violate a court order on numerous occasions during his time in office.

Although, Porteous' defense declared he would retire from the federal bench in 2011, it did little to curtail the vote of guilt by the Senate. In addition, the Senate did more than simply remove him from office. It barred him forever from holding any other office of honor or profit in the United States.

Now that's harsh!