House Judiciary Committee Recommends Judge’s Impeachment

A federal judge who hoped to keep his salary for another year, despite a prison sentence that begins on Monday, encountered another roadblock today.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 28-0 to recommend that the full House vote to impeach Judge Sam Kent, the Houston Chronicle reports. The last time the committee voted in favor of impeaching a federal judge was 20 years ago, according to the Tex Parte blog.

The action makes it possible for the full House to vote before the July 4 recess, which could set the stage for a Senate trial in August.

The vote comes just one day after a task force referred four articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee. Kent was sentenced to 33 months in prison after his guilty plea for obstruction of justice, part of a plea bargain in which he admitted to nonconsensual sexual contact with two court employees.

Kent has announced his resignation—effective June 1, 2010. In the meantime, he plans to collect his $174,000 annual salary and health benefits. U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, complained during today’s hearing that Kent is “gaming the system. ... That’s why we are here today to put an end to Judge Kent’s abuse of authority and the American taxpayers.”