Texas federal judge Samuel Kent, whose Edith Jones and other members of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals attempted to cover-up, is soon going to prison on charges relating to sexual assault. He is still getting a salary.
Initially, he had applied for permanent disability. Had he received disabled status, he would have drawn a federal salary for the rest of his life. Edith Jones, realizing that the nation was now watching her, denied his request.
Just Kent had refused to resign, lest he lose federal benefits. The House of Representatives intends on impeaching him. What does Kent do?
In a very clever move, he has resigned - effective one year from today. The Texas Lawyer reports:
"Judge Kent will be giving notice to the president [in a letter] as soon as it's sent today that he's resigning his position as a district judge effective June 1, 2010," DeGuerin says.
There's a reason Kent is making his resignation effective one year from now, DeGuerin says.
"I figure that it will take at least that long for Congress and the Senate to go through all of the motions for impeachment. And he would be entitled to continue the health benefits that he has during that time. They can either have their spectacle or accept his resignation as tendered and go on to more important business that Congress has," DeGuerin says.
Judge Kent's source of income was his job as federal judge. One could understand why he'd seek to preserve his income. Nevertheless, Kent's conviction was based on his misconduct as a judge. He sexually assaulted his clerks.
If he had any honor, he'd resign - effective immediately. That he sexually assaulted his clerks showed his lack of honor. His latest manipulation is thus unsurprising.
Judge Kent's own lawyer admitted to Congress that Judge Kent's goal is to manipulate the system. Congress should meet the challenge. Act immediately to impeace Judge Kent.
