Conyers wants convicted judge impeached

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has submitted a House resolution calling for an investigation and possible impeachment of U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent. Kent, who sits on the federal bench for the Southern District of Texas, was convicted last week of perjury and obstruction of justice relating to charges of sexually assaulting a court employee and sentenced to three years in prison.

The resolution is co-sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and asks the full House to authorize an investigation of Kent on the question of whether the House should impeach him and remove him from office. Despite the conviction and jail sentence, Kent is refusing to resign his seat; impeachment is the only means of removing him from the bench.

By law, Federal judges can retire at 65 and receive their full salary, in Kent’s case $169,300, for the rest of their lives. If a judge resigns from office, they receive no pension at all. The only way to retire earlier than that and still receive full salary is to retire due to a disability, which is what Kent apparently intends to do. He now claims to be suffering from anxiety and depression.