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A Rare Impeachment Trial

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | June 24, 2009 | +

The Senate today began its first impeachment trial since Bill Clinton. This one is much less controversial; Federal Judge Samuel B. Kent of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas is most likely going to be convicted. Kent was accused of sexually assaulting two female employees at his court in Galveston and trying to cover up his actions. He pled guilty to obstruction of justice and is currently serving time in a federal prison medical facility in Massachusetts – due out in November 2011. The House impeached Kent last week in three unanimous votes. If convicted, Kent would stop receiving his $174,000-a-year salary. The process will take a couple of weeks as senators appointed today review the case.

This is the 17th time the Senate has held an impeachment trial in its history with roughly half of the defendants convicted and half acquitted. For history buffs, a complete list and history of Senate impeachment trials can be found here.

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  • FlownOver

    This will give Sen. Inhofe an opportunity to demonstrate a rare flash of sanity – although it’s six to five and pick ‘em whether he’ll take it.

  • spob

    The real story here, JNS, is that this scum got a pretty lenient sentence. Not only did he victimize women, but he lorded it over them since he was a federal judge.
    .
    Full disclosure, this scum was a Bush 41 appointee.

  • spob

    OT, but this defines “chutzpah”:
    .
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580784452945093.html

  • spob

    FO, speaking of rare flashes of sanity, have you figured out how the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clauses are sources of the states’ power to disenfranchise prisoners? You said you were maintaining office hours.

  • spob
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