Impeachment proceedings against Thomas Porteous to continue
November 17, 2009
Louisiana: Despite an attempt to delay proceedings by Thomas Porteous, federal judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, his impeachment hearings from the House Judiciary Committee will continue. Porteous is charged with presiding over a trial in which the lawyers involved had given him money and is accused of filing for bankruptcy under a false name, among other things.[1]
Porteous sued the House Judiciary Committee to delay impeachment proceedings planned against him, claiming that his Fifth Amendment rights were violated. The judge said in his lawsuit that the task force in charge of planning his impeachment failed to grant him immunity in giving testimony to the task force.[2] Judge Richard Leon, who heard the temporary restraining order case, refused to delay the opening of congressional hearings. Leon counseled attorneys for Porteous that they may still file for an injunction later in the year, but that their chances for success would be a "very, very long shot".[3]
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana
State courts:
Louisiana Supreme Court • Louisiana Courts of Appeal • Louisiana District Courts • Louisiana City Courts • Louisiana Family Courts • Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts • Louisiana Juvenile Courts • Louisiana Mayor’s Courts • Louisiana Municipal Courts • Louisiana Parish Courts • Louisiana Traffic Courts
State resources:
Courts in Louisiana • Louisiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Louisiana
