Judge Kent impeached by House of Representatives

Here is an example of unique form of collateral consequences of a conviction: "The House today impeached imprisoned U.S. District Court Judge Samuel B. Kent and sent his case to the Senate for trial."  This Houston Chronicle article provides more details:

The Senate is expected to quickly convene a trial – possibly within a matter of weeks – to cut off the judge’s $174,000 annual federal salary.

The House overwhelmingly adopted four articles of impeachment against the 59-year-old jurist on rapid-fire roll call votes over the course of 30 minutes.  The vote on the first article of impeachment was 389-0. Not a single member of the House spoke on Kent’s behalf.

The charges accused Kent of abusing his power as a judge by sexually assaulting two female court employees as well as lying about his conduct to a judicial inquiry, the FBI and the Justice Department.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that urged impeachment, called Kent’s conduct “shocking and shameful.”...  Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Tyler, decried “the games that were played” by Kent as he tried to retain his post and the salary that goes with it even though he is in prison.

The House has last impeached a federal judge in 1989.  A total of 13 judges have faced impeachment proceedings in the House since 1803, seven of whom were subsequently convicted by the Senate and removed from the bench.

Kent entered a federal prison medical facility in Ayer, Mass., on Monday to begin a 33-month felony sentence on one count of obstruction of justice following a plea bargain that dropped five other charges.  Kent is the first federal judge to serve prison time since 1991.

Related posts on the Kent proceedings:

• Judge Kent takes a deal (and now becomes the latest, greatest topic for sentencing debate)
• "Is Kent getting off easy?"
• More questions and fall-out following Judge Kent's guilty plea
• Latest notable news surrounding former judge (now felon) Sam Kent
• Any predictions on former Judge Sam Kent's sentence? UPDATE: 33 months
• Latest news on impeachment process for former Judge Kent
• Interesting materials from the hearing surrounding impeachment of Judge Kent
• Judge Kent's letter discussing judicial activism, isolation and substance abuse
• Judge Samuel Kent finally heading to prison today