Legal Ethics
Probe Broadens into Federal Judge Accused of Harassment
Posted Jan 22, 2008, 08:02 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A federal judge reprimanded after a sexual harassment complaint is being investigated for his social interactions with lawyers who appeared before him.
The FBI is talking to Galveston restaurateurs to learn who ate and drank with U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent and who picked up the tab, the Galveston Daily News reports.
Some have speculated that Kent favored the lawyers with whom he socialized, a charge denied by Kent’s lawyer, Dick DeGuerin.
“You look at any lawyers who are his friends—and he does have some lawyers who are his friends—none of them has any better win-loss record in his court than any other lawyer,” DeGuerin told the newspaper. “In fact, some don’t have as good of a record.”
The Southern District of Texas removed 85 cases from Kent’s court in 2001, saying the move was because of Kent’s heavy caseload. However, one lawyer, Richard Melancon, was a lawyer in all of the cases, the newspaper says. He is a close friend of Kent's and hosted the reception for the judge’s second wedding, according to the story.
A hat tip to How Appealing, which posted the article.
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