Alcee Hastings
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 23rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 5, 1993
Preceded by	None (District Created After 1990 Census)
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	September 05, 1936 (1936-09-05) (age 71) Altamonte Springs, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Divorced
Religion	African Methodist Episcopal

Alcee Lamar Hastings (born September 5, 1936) is a U.S. politician, who was an impeached and removed federal judge and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing Florida's 23rd congressional district (map). Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Floridas Twenty-Third Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in Florida. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Altamonte Springs is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church, is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Floridas Twenty-Third Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in Florida. ...

Born in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Hastings was educated at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; and Florida A&M University. Altamonte Springs is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. ... Fisk University is a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. It was established by John Ogden, Reverend Erastus Milo Cravath and Reverend Edward P. Smith and named in honor of General Clinton B. Fisk of the Tennessee Freedmens Bureau. ... “Nashville” redirects here. ... Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. An historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU (pronounced fam-you), is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, the state capital, and is one of eleven institutions in Floridas State University System. ...

A Representative since 1993 and a Democrat, Hastings was a lawyer and judge of the circuit court of Broward County, Florida, and United States District Court judge for the Southern District of Florida (1979 to 1989), until he was impeached and removed from office for corruption and perjury. He is only the 6th federal judge to be impeached and removed from office in American history. The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Broward County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Map of the boundaries of the United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ...

Impeachment

In 1981 Judge Hastings was charged with accepting a $150,000 bribe in exchange for a lenient sentence and a return of seized assets for 21 counts of racketeering by Frank and Thomas Romano, and of perjury in his testimony about the case. He was acquitted by a jury after his alleged co-conspirator, William Borders, refused to testify in court (resulting in a jail sentence for Borders). Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

In 1988, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives took up the case, and Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury by a vote of 413-3. Voters to impeach included Democratic Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, John Conyers and Charles Rangel. He was then convicted in 1989 by the United States Senate, becoming the sixth federal judge in the history of the United States to be removed from office by the Senate. The vote on the first article was 69 for and 26 opposed, providing five votes more than the two-thirds of those present that were needed to convict. The first article accused the judge of conspiracy. Conviction on any single article was enough to remove the judge from office. The Senate vote cut across party lines, with Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont voting to convict his fellow party member, and Arlen Specter voting to acquit.^[1] Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body formally levels charges against a high official of government. ... Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... Steny Hamilton Hoyer (born June 14, 1939) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Marylands 5th congressional district since 1981. ... John Conyers, Jr. ... Charles Bernard Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (born June 11, American politician. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States...

The Senate had the option to forbid Hastings from ever seeking federal office again, but did not do so. Alleged co-conspirator, attorney William Borders went to jail again for refusing to testify in the impeachment proceedings, but was later given a full pardon by Bill Clinton on his last day in office.^[2] William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

Hastings filed suit in federal court claiming that his impeachment trial was invalid because he was tried by a Senate committee, not in front of the full Senate, and that he had been acquitted in a criminal trial. Judge Stanley Sporkin ruled in favor of Hastings, remanding the case back to the Senate, but stayed his ruling pending the outcome of an appeal to the Supreme Court in a similar case regarding Judge Walter Nixon, who had also been impeached and removed.^[3] Stanley Sporkin (born 1932) is a former judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the... Walter Nixon Walter Louis Nixon (born 1928 in Biloxi, Mississippi) is a former United States federal judge. ...

Sporkin found some "crucial distinctions"^[4] between Nixon's case and Hastings', specifically, that Nixon had been convicted criminally, and that Hastings was not found guilty by two-thirds of the committee who actually "tried" his impeachment in the Senate. He further added that Hastings had a right to trial by the full Senate.

The Supreme Court, however, ruled in Nixon v. United States that the federal courts have no jurisdiction over Senate impeachment matters, so Sporkin's ruling was vacated and Hastings' conviction and removal were upheld. Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied U.S. Const. ...

Congressional Career

Hastings was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992. He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in July 2004. Today, as a Senior Democratic Whip, Hastings is an influential member of the Democratic Leadership. Congressman Hastings is also a member of the powerful House Rules Committee and is a senior Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). On the HPSCI, Hastings is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing African American members of the Congress of the United States. ... The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Coöperation in Europe is a body of parliamentarians from the OSCEs member states. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was one of the 31 who voted in the House not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004. [2] The United States Electoral College is the electoral college which chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Presidential election results map. ...

House Intelligence Committee controversy

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After the 2006 United States House of Representatives elections, Hastings attracted controversy after it was reported that incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might appoint him as head of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Pelosi reportedly favored Hastings instead of the ranking Democrat Jane Harman due to political differences and support for Hastings by the Congressional Black Caucus.^[5] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... The U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Peter Hoekstra. ... Jane Lakes Harman (born June 28, 1945), is a six-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 36th District of California (map). ... The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing African American members of the Congress of the United States. ...

However, Hastings' impeachment led to accusations that Democrats, who had campaigned against a Republican "culture of corruption," were themselves elevating a corrupt official to a committee chair. On November 28, 2006, Pelosi announced that Hastings would not be the next chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.^[6]

In January of 2007 Speaker Nancy Pelosi choose Congressman Sylvester Reyes of Texas as the next Chairman of the powerful Select Committee on Intelligence. While Congressman Hastings was passed over to chair the full committee he became chair of the sub-committee.

See also

• Impeachment in the United States

The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presiding. ...

Notes

1. ^ http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FA0712FC3D5F0C728EDDA90994D1484D81
2. ^ http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1066080426784
3. ^ Senate Conviction of Hastings Is Reversed by Judge Sporkin
4. ^ http://classes.lls.edu/archive/manheimk/fedcts/hastings1.html
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ http://today.reuters.com

• Ruth Marcus, "Senate Removes Hastings" Washington Post, October 21, 1989; Page A01. [3]
• Kenneth J. Cooper, "Hastings Joins His Former Accusers" Washington Post, January 6, 1993; Page A10.[4]
• "Alcee Hastings scandal proves H. Paul Rico a gifted wangster" By Howie Carr, Boston Herald Columnist; Wednesday, November 22, 2006 — Updated: 12:35 AM EST [5]

... The Boston Herald is a tabloid newspaper (not to be confused with tabloid press periodicals), the smaller of the two big dailies in Boston, Massachusetts, with a daily circulation of 230,543 in September 2005. ...

External links

• U.S. Congressman Alcee Hastings official House site
• Alcee Hastings at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Alcee L Hastings campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Alcee Hastings issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Alcee L. Hastings campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Alcee L. Hastings (FL) profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Alcee Hastings voting record
• Alcee L. Hastings for Congress — official campaign site