[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18331]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        REGARDING IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING AGAINST SAMUEL B. KENT

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a resolution 
and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:.

                              H. Res. 661

       Resolved, That the managers on the part of the House of 
     Representatives in the impeachment proceedings now pending in 
     the Senate against Samuel B. Kent, formerly judge of the 
     United States District Court for the Southern District of 
     Texas, are instructed to appear before the Senate, sitting as 
     a court of impeachment for those proceedings, and advise the 
     Senate that, because Samuel B. Kent is no longer a civil 
     officer of the United States, the House of Representatives 
     does not desire further to urge the articles of impeachment 
     hitherto filed in the Senate against Samuel B. Kent.

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee 
Task Force on Judicial Impeachment that was directed to inquire whether 
Judge Samuel B. Kent should be impeached, I rise to discuss the 
resolution before the House today and urge its adoption.
  On June 19, 2009, the House of Representatives voted to impeach 
Samuel B. Kent, judge of the United States District Court for the 
Southern District of Texas, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Four 
Articles of Impeachment were agreed to without dissent.
  On June 24, 2009, I was joined by the other House Managers in this 
matter in presenting the Articles of Impeachment to the United States 
Senate, whereupon proceedings were commenced. Later that day, Judge 
Kent was served with a summons by the Senate Sergeant at Arms, 
commanding an answer to the Articles of Impeachment. Upon being served, 
Judge Kent tendered his resignation to the President of the United 
States, effective June 30, 2009, which was accepted by the President.
  On July 6, 2009, the managers on the part of the House advised the 
Senate, sitting as a court of impeachment in this proceeding, of the 
resignation and its acceptance, and further advised the Senate that the 
managers had determined to recommend to the House that the pending 
impeachment proceedings in the Senate be discontinued.
  Given that Samuel B. Kent is no longer a civil officer of the United 
States, having ceased to be a judge, the managers on the part of the 
House of Representatives respectfully recommend that the impeachment 
proceedings pending in the Senate be discontinued.
  The resolution before us today instructs the House Managers to return 
to the Senate, to inform the Senate that, in light of Samuel Kent's 
resignation, the House no longer seeks to urge the articles of 
impeachment in trial before the Senate. This will enable the Senate to 
dispense with the pending trial.
  I wish to emphasize that, although the Senate trial has proved 
unnecessary, the House has fulfilled its purpose of seeking to remove 
from office a judge who had committed high crimes and misdemeanors 
rendering him unfit to continue serving.
  I would like to thank all my House colleagues for helping bring this 
matter to a successful result--and particularly my colleague Bob 
Goodlatte of Virginia, the Ranking Member of the Impeachment Task 
Force, for his leadership.
  I urge the House to adopt this resolution.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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