As a former state judge, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., says one accusation against federal District Judge Thomas Porteous of Metairie stands out: his refusal to recuse himself from a case in which he was secretly receiving money from one of the attorneys. "That goes to an issue that I am very concerned about," said Johnson, who argues that a judiciary free of bias is "fundamental to the functioning of our legal system." Johnson, a member of the 12-member House Judiciary Committee task force considering Porteous' impeachment, isn't alone. Comments by fellow task force members during the first two days of hearings last week suggest a consensus building that the accusations against Porteous are serious enough to warrant his removal from office.
