IV 

House Calendar No. 75 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 520 

[Report No. 111–159] 

Impeaching Samuel B. Kent, judge of the United States District Court 

for the Southern District of Texas, for high crimes and misdemeanors. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 9, 2009 

Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. GOODLATTE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. 

DELAHUNT, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

FORBES, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. PIERLUISI, and 

Mr. GONZALEZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

JUNE 17, 2009 

Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed 

RESOLUTION 

Impeaching Samuel B. Kent, judge of the United States 

District Court for the Southern District of Texas, for 

high crimes and misdemeanors. 

1 Resolved, That Samuel B. Kent, a judge of the United 

2 States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 

3 is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that 


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•HRES 520 RH 

1 the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the 

2 Senate: 

3 Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of 

4 Representatives of the United States of America in the 

5 name of itself and all of the people of the United States 

6 of America, against Samuel B. Kent, a judge of the United 

7 States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 

8 in maintenance and support of its impeachment against 

9 him for high crimes and misdemeanors. 

10 ARTICLE I 

11 Incident to his position as a United States district 

12 court judge, Samuel B. Kent has engaged in conduct with 

13 respect to employees associated with the court that is in14 compatible with the trust and confidence placed in him 

15 as a judge, as follows: 

16 (1) Judge Kent is a United States District 

17 Judge in the Southern District of Texas. From 1990 

18 to 2008, he was assigned to the Galveston Division 

19 of the Southern District, and his chambers and 

20 courtroom were located in the United States Post 

21 Office and Courthouse in Galveston, Texas. 

22 (2) Cathy McBroom was an employee of the Of23 fice of the Clerk of Court for the Southern District 

24 of Texas, and served as a Deputy Clerk in the Gal25 veston Division assigned to Judge Kent’s courtroom. 


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1 (3) On one or more occasions between 2003 

2 and 2007, Judge Kent sexually assaulted Cathy 

3 McBroom, by touching her private areas directly and 

4 through her clothing against her will and by at5 tempting to cause her to engage in a sexual act with 

6 him. 

7 Wherefore, Judge Samuel B. Kent is guilty of high 

8 crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from of9 fice. 

10 ARTICLE II 

11 Incident to his position as a United States district 

12 court judge, Samuel B. Kent has engaged in conduct with 

13 respect to employees associated with the court that is in14 compatible with the trust and confidence placed in him 

15 as a judge, as follows: 

16 (1) Judge Kent is a United States District 

17 Judge in the Southern District of Texas. From 1990 

18 to 2008, he was assigned to the Galveston Division 

19 of the Southern District, and his chambers and 

20 courtroom were located in the United States Post 

21 Office and Courthouse in Galveston, Texas. 

22 (2) Donna Wilkerson was an employee of the 

23 United States District Court for the Southern Dis24 trict of Texas. 


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1 (3) On one or more occasions between 2001 

2 and 2007, Judge Kent sexually assaulted Donna 

3 Wilkerson, by touching her in her private areas 

4 against her will and by attempting to cause her to 

5 engage in a sexual act with him. 

6 Wherefore, Judge Samuel B. Kent is guilty of high 

7 crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from of8 fice. 

9 ARTICLE III 

10 Samuel B. Kent corruptly obstructed, influenced, or 

11 impeded an official proceeding as follows: 

12 (1) On or about May 21, 2007, Cathy 

13 McBroom filed a judicial misconduct complaint with 

14 the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth 

15 Circuit. In response, the Fifth Circuit appointed a 

16 Special Investigative Committee (hereinafter in this 

17 article referred to as ‘‘the Committee’’) to inves18 tigate Cathy McBroom’s complaint. 

19 (2) On or about June 8, 2007, at Judge Kent’s 

20 request and upon notice from the Committee, Judge 

21 Kent appeared before the Committee. 

22 (3) As part of its investigation, the Committee 

23 sought to learn from Judge Kent and others whether 

24 he had engaged in unwanted sexual contact with 


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1 Cathy McBroom and individuals other than Cathy 

2 McBroom. 

3 (4) On or about June 8, 2007, Judge Kent 

4 made false statements to the Committee regarding 

5 his unwanted sexual contact with Donna Wilkerson 

6 as follows: 

7 (A) Judge Kent falsely stated to the Com8 mittee that the extent of his unwanted sexual 

9 contact with Donna Wilkerson was one kiss, 

10 when in fact and as he knew he had engaged 

11 in repeated sexual contact with Donna 

12 Wilkerson without her permission. 

13 (B) Judge Kent falsely stated to the Com14 mittee that when told by Donna Wilkerson his 

15 advances were unwelcome no further contact oc16 curred, when in fact and as he knew, Judge 

17 Kent continued such advances even after she 

18 asked him to stop. 

19 (5) Judge Kent was indicted and pled guilty 

20 and was sentenced to imprisonment for the felony of 

21 obstruction of justice in violation of section 

22 1512(c)(2) of title 18, United States Code, on the 

23 basis of false statements made to the Committee. 

24 The sentencing judge described his conduct as ‘‘a 

25 stain on the justice system itself’’. 


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1 Wherefore, Judge Samuel B. Kent is guilty of high 

2 crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from of3 fice. 

4 ARTICLE IV 

5 Judge Samuel B. Kent made material false and mis6 leading statements about the nature and extent of his non7 consensual sexual contact with Cathy McBroom and 

8 Donna Wilkerson to agents of the Federal Bureau of In9 vestigation on or about November 30, 2007, and to agents 

10 of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and representatives 

11 of the Department of Justice on or about August 11, 

12 2008. 

13 Wherefore, Judge Samuel B. Kent is guilty of high 

14 crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from of15 fice. 


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House Calendar No. 75 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 520 

[Report No. 110–159] 

RESOLUTION 

Impeaching Samuel B. Kent, judge of the United 

Texas, for high crimes and misdemeanors. States District Court for the Southern District of 

JUNE 17, 2009 

Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 

printed 


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