Judge Samuel Kent Hangs Up His Robe
The Not-So-Honorable Samuel Kent — the first federal judge to be charged with a sex crime, and now a convicted felon, after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice — is leaving the bench.
But he’s taking his sweet time about it:
U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent on Tuesday submitted his ”unconditional resignation,” which will take effect June 1, 2010.Kent’s lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, says the judge decided to resign to avoid the ”spectacle” of an impeachment process by Congress. The House Judiciary Committee had scheduled a hearing on the matter for Wednesday.
Kent’s resignation announcement comes a week after denial of his request to retire on disability due to depression — which would have allowed him to continue receiving his full salary for the rest of his life.
Yes, that’s right — June 2010. What’s going on? Professor Jonathan Turley explains (gavel bang: commenter):
The date is designed to milk the system of as much benefits as possible — only to resign shortly before any completion of impeachment. Absent a voluntary resignation or impeachment, Kent can continue to receive his judicial salary.
Pretty pretty clever. Count on a federal judge to work the legal loopholes.
Judge Kent Resigns On Eve of Impeachment Hearing — Effective One Year From Now [Jonathan Turley]
Convicted Federal Judge Submits Resignation Letter [Associated Press]
Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Judge Samuel B. Kent
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hey, time won't wait, life goes by
so he won't be hiring clerks for the 2010-11 then?
2010? How does that work? Will he preside over habeas corpus hearings for himself?
Good to know that President Obama's severance package for convicted felons is better than the one given to terminated associates. Am I to understand that this convicted judge will continue to receive his annual salary for another year?
Judge Kent knows where the bitches at.
um, you're totally missing all the context. read this :
http://jonathanturley.org/2009/06/02/judge-kent-resigns-on-eve-of-impeachment-hearing-effective-one-year-from-now/
john turley FTW
"See! I told you white males make bad judges!"
-- SotomayOR!
June 1, 2010? Don't think Congress will wait that long.
Judge “hard case” Hardcastle from Hardcastle and McCormick would throw the book at him. No one is above the law for Hardcastle—not even former colleagues.
Wonder how Judge Hardcastle puts up with Skidmark McCormick given the stench.
PE STFU.
(1) Kent was a Bush 41 appointee. If you'd finished ConLaw yet, you'd know that his appointment lasts until he's impeached by the House and removed by the Senate. Thus, Obama didn't give him this severance package. James Madison did.
(2) You mocked a suicide because you thought it was good schtick.
Assuming that Judge Kent is not disbarred, expect him to join K&L Gates.
Why doesn't some member of the House just offer a bill of impeachment on the floor. There is no need for a hearing, he plead guilty. The latest move should seal the deal.
I had the displeasure of appearing in front of Judge Kent during hearings at his little fiefdom in Galveston. I can tell you that he won't be missed by lawyers (especially defense counsel) in the area.
@11
Ouch.
Congress should impeach anyway. Even if it takes a year they can bar him from ever holding any federal public office.
Remember that Office episode where Dwight made the call girl stuff envelopes because they had alreasy paid her for three hours? They should totally get this guy to do menial stuff while he insists on staying on the payroll. The urinals of the courthouse need scrubbing-- get busy Judge Kent!
Kent is a bully without equals and a first-rate jerk. There is absolutely nothing nice that can be said about the man.
That he pulls this kind of stunt is completely unsurprising. May he rot in hell.
It's a sad statement about our Congress that Kent thinks it will take them more than a year to do something that should take only weeks.
shameful
Seriously: If you clerked for him, do you keep that line on your resume? (I didn't, but I'm curious about this.)
21: If you clerked for him, you probably work for some shitty firm in Texas, which probably still holds Judge Kent in high regard. So the answer is most likely yes.
Man I was going to Clerk for this judge, but now I am out of luck.
If only western law proscribed some sort of legal doctrine that could remedy my problem . . .
He "retired" in February, but is "resigning" now? What am I missing?
And 12 is the best (and most accurate) comment on this post so far.
It's good to see that Judge Kent went from trying to suck as much tit as possible to trying to such as much of the government's tit as possible.
Got to give him props for consistency.
25: It's a skill that may come in handy.
11-
"(2) You mocked a suicide because you thought it was good schtick."
Lots of things not to like about PE, but I must suggest that mocking a suicide is a most *excellent* schtick.
"What is the difference between God and a Federal Judge?"
"God is not a Federal Judge!!!"
Isidoro Rodriguez, Esq.