Impeached Judge Wins Florida Runoff
Former federal judge Alcee L. Hastings, whose impeachment conviction by the U.S. Senate was reversed last month, on Thursday won the Democratic nomination for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Hastings, 55, won a bitter, race-dominated battle with state Rep. Lois Frankel, 44, who is white. He had stressed the “historical significance” of the contest; she challenged his integrity and charged Hastings waged a campaign of reverse discrimination against her.
Hastings was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 as Florida’s first black federal district judge. He was acquitted in a jury trial on bribery charges but was impeached on related allegations.
A federal judge ruled he was improperly tried by a 12-member Senate panel, although final resolution of the case will depend on a Supreme Court ruling.
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