March 12, 2010 in Nation/World

House votes to impeach U.S. judge

Associated Press
 

WASHINGTON – The House voted unanimously Thursday to impeach a U.S. district judge from Louisiana, who lawmakers said avoided likely criminal charges related to alleged payoffs in part because the statute of limitations expired.

The House approved four impeachment articles charging U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr. with taking payoffs and lying under oath. The unanimous vote reflected the bipartisan anger of the House over the judge’s conduct.

The case goes to trial in the Senate, where a two-thirds vote is needed to convict Porteous of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” standard set out in the Constitution.

Porteous was accused of taking cash from lawyers and gifts from a bail bondsman, lying to the Senate and the FBI to win confirmation, and making false statements in his personal bankruptcy proceedings.

If convicted in the Senate, Porteous would become the eighth federal judge in U.S. history to be impeached and convicted.

Porteous was nominated by President Bill Clinton.

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