Senate to open impeachment trial against judge accused of lying under oath and taking payoffs
By Ben Evans, APMonday, September 13, 2010
Senate to open impeachment trial against judge
WASHINGTON — The Senate is set to open its first impeachment trial since the 1999 case against former President Bill Clinton when it takes up a host of corruption allegations Monday against a Louisiana judge.
The House voted unanimously in March to impeach U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous, charging him with taking payoffs and lying under oath. A two-thirds vote will be needed to convict him in the Senate.
Senators on a special impeachment panel appear ready to resolve the case quickly, scheduling three all-day hearings over the next two weeks in which House prosecutors will make their case and Porteous can mount a defense.
If convicted, Porteous, who was nominated by Clinton, would be the eighth federal judge in U.S. history to be impeached and removed from the bench.
Tags: Bill Clinton, Impeachments, National Courts, North America, Political Corruption, Political Issues, United States, Washington
