Federal Judge Says Fellow Jurist's Ethics Testimony Can Be Used in US Senate Impeachment Trial
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has refused a fellow jurist’s plea to block his testimony in a judicial ethics proceeding from being used in an upcoming U.S. Senate impeachment trial.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous contended that a grant of immunity for testimony he gave to investigators for a federal appellate court ethics committee should have barred the Senate from using the testimony. But U.S. District Judge Richard Leon held that he has no jurisdiction to intervene in his New Orleans colleague’s impeachment trial, reports the Blog of Legal Times.
“Judicial restraint and comity dictate that this court refrain from any interference with the ongoing proceedings in the Senate,” writes Leon, citing the speech or debate clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Earlier ABAJournal.com coverage:
Testimony: Fed’l Judge Owed $150K on Credit Cards, Got $20K from 2 Lawyers
Unanimous House Committee OKs Impeachment Articles for Federal Judge
