The Nation - News from March 16, 1989
A federal judge, making a personal plea during an extraordinary appearance on the Senate floor, urged senators to throw out impeachment charges that he plotted to get a $150,000 bribe and lied about it at his trial. Saying a jury has acquitted him, District Judge Alcee L. Hastings of Miami, the first black judge in Florida history, told senators: “The jury system is the cornerstone of justice in America and to tamper with it lightly is to send a message that is both pernicious and dangerous.” The proceeding was held only to hear the plea by Hastings for dismissal of 16 of the 17 articles of impeachment approved Aug. 3 by a House vote of 413 to 3. The Senate planned to wait until today to rule on Hastings’ motion to dismiss.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
