House Judiciary Committee Announces Retention of Alan Baron to Lead Inquiry into Possible Impeachment of Judge Porteous

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. today announced that the Committee had retained Alan I. Barron as Special Counsel to lead the inquiry into whether U.S. District Court Judge G. Thomas Porteous should be impeached. Mr. Baron, a Partner with the law firm of Holland & Knight, served as Special Impeachment Counsel to the House of Representatives in 1988 and 1989 in the impeachment proceedings of federal judges Walter Nixon and Alcee Hastings. Prior to his return to private practice in 1998, Mr. Baron also served as Minority Chief Counsel to the Senate Government Affairs Committee for the investigation into campaign finance abuses.

"We are pleased that the task force has begun its work on this very serious matter" said Conyers and Lamar Smith, the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. "We are confident that Mr. Baron’s qualifications will be of great assistance to the task force as it seeks the facts of this case."

The investigation, which was authorized by the House of Representatives on September 17, 2008, will be conducted by a special task force of the Judiciary Committee led by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) as its Chairman and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) as its Ranking Member.

"Our investigation must be thorough, fair and fully in accordance with the letter of the law," said Schiff. "Mr. Baron’s experience and upstanding reputation leave me no doubt that he will be a great help to the task force, and I look forward to working with him."

"Allegations that Judge Porteous misused his position of authority are deeply disturbing," said Goodlatte. “This is the just the first step in a long process of reviewing the facts, seeking justice and ensuring integrity on the federal bench. I am confident that Mr. Baron will serve the Committee with distinction and look forward to working with him in the coming months."