Longtime congressman was impeached as judge
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rep. Alcee Hastings, the fiercely liberal longtime Florida congressman who was dogged throughout his tenure by an impeachment that ended his fast-rising judicial career, died Tuesday. He was 84.
Mr. Hastings’ death was confirmed by his chief of staff, Lale M. Morrison. Mr. Hastings, a Democrat from the Fort Lauderdale area, announced two years ago that he had pancreatic cancer.
Mr. Hastings was known as an advocate for minorities, a defender of Israel and a voice for gays, immigrants, women and the elderly. He held senior posts on the House Rules Committee and the Helsinki Commission, which works with other countries on a variety of multinational issues.
President Joe Biden called Mr. Hastings “a trailblazing lawyer” whom he admired for his “singular sense of humor, and for always speaking the truth bluntly and without reservation.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mr. Hastings’ “leadership and friendship will be missed by his many friends in Congress.”
Born Sept. 5, 1936, in Altamonte Springs, Florida, a largely black Orlando suburb, Mr. Hastings was the son of a maid and a butler. He attended Fisk University and Florida A&M. After earning his law degree, he went into private practice. He made an unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 1970, then earned a state judgeship.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter named him to the federal bench. His harsh criticism of President Ronald Reagan, his appearance at a 1984 rally for then-presidential candidate Jesse Jackson and other moves considered unusual for a sitting federal judge raised questions about his impartiality. But Mr. Hastings insisted he was doing nothing wrong.
“I think it’s better to have public officials express themselves,” he said. “I don’t think being a judge means I’m neutered.”
However, he became the first sitting U.S. judge tried on criminal charges.
Along with Washington lawyer William Borders Jr., Mr. Hastings was accused of soliciting a $150,000 bribe from two convicted racketeers seeking to shorten their sentences. Mr. Hastings contended Borders solicited the bribe without his knowledge.
Borders was convicted and sentenced to five years. Mr. Hastings was acquitted, but a judicial panel accused him of fabricating his defense. The House impeached him in 1988, and the Senate convicted him in 1989.
A federal judge later reversed the impeachment, saying Mr. Hastings was improperly tried by a 12-member panel instead of the full Senate, but later in another case, the Supreme Court decided 7-2 that courts could not second-guess the Senate’s power to remove federal officials.
By then, Mr. Hastings had already won a seat in Congress in 1992, taking his oath before the same body that impeached him.