THURS., C-SPAN3, 9AM ET ---Impeachment Hearing

[rodeodance]

http://c-span.org/homepage.asp

IN THE SENATE
Impeachment Hearing
A House Judiciary Subcmte. will hold a legislative hearing on H.Res. 916, a resolution impeach-
ing Manuel L. Real, a U.S. District Judge of the Central District of California, for high crimes & mis-
demeanors. In Feb. 2000, Judge Real allegedly interceded on behalf of a defendant known to him.
THURS., C-SPAN3, 9AM ET
THE BILL H.RES. 916

[MrCoffee]

1. Sounds like the judge did some serious wrong

From the LA Times, January 18, 2004:

"A veteran federal judge faces disciplinary proceedings after he improperly seized control of a bankruptcy case in an effort to protect a woman whose probation he had decided to oversee personally, according to a federal judicial disciplinary council."

"Penalties for District Judge Manuel L. Real, 79, who has been a controversial member of the federal judiciary in Los Angeles since 1966, could range from a private reprimand to loss of the authority to hear cases."

"The proceedings in the case have largely taken place out of the public eye. The judicial council of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which supervises federal judges in California and eight other Western states, handed down its ruling on Real in mid-December, but the decision has never been formally published and has not been placed on the court website. The decision, cryptically titled "In Re Complaint of Judicial Misconduct," does not mention Real by name, but his identity is revealed in a court opinion referred to in the disciplinary panel's ruling."

"Legal experts say that although the next steps in the case are up to the chief judge of the 9th Circuit, the council's ruling means that some sort of penalty against Real is highly likely. That alone would make his case rare. More than 99% of the complaints filed against federal judges around the country are dismissed out of hand. The 9th Circuit council has reprimanded only two jurists in the last decade, while rejecting hundreds of complaints, according to official records."

http://www.clr.org/Real-Manuel-L.html