VICTORY: Federal Judge Mark Fuller resigns under threat of impeachment
Heidi Hess, CREDO action
After more than nine months of activism, we just had a big win in the case of federal judge Mark Fuller, who was arrested for assaulting his wife last August.
Last Friday, Fuller submitted his resignation to President Obama. It has now become clear that Fuller resigned under threat of impeachment.1
A special committee of the 11th Circuit Court investigated a complaint filed by CREDO on behalf of more than 1,000 CREDO members in Fuller’s home state of Alabama, along with three other filed complaints.2 In response, the Judicial Council of the 11th Circuit unanimously adopted the findings of that special committee, which were that Fuller’s conduct should be considered for impeachment proceedings. Before the Judicial Conference of the United States could recommend impeachment to Congress, Fuller resigned.
In addition to our Alabama members who signed on to our complaint, over 135,000 CREDO activists helped us make it clear to the 11th Circuit Court and to Congress that domestic violence is unacceptable, and — for a federal judge — it must be an impeachable offense. Our voices clearly made a difference.
Your pressure also helped keep Congress focused on Fuller’s case. In their statement about Fuller’s resignation today, House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers said, “the House Judiciary Committee was prepared to initiate impeachment proceedings against Judge Fuller pending the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and the Committee strongly encouraged the courts to expedite the investigation into Judge Fuller’s misconduct.”3
A domestic abuser will no longer have a lifetime appointment to the federal bench, and CREDO activists helped make it happen.
Thanks for everything you do,
Heidi Hess, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
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“Panel found possible grounds for impeaching judge Mark Fuller,” Kyle Whitmire, AL.com, 06/01/2015.