Legal Beat

Our CQ colleague Leah Nylen reports that a House Judiciary impeachment task force probing allegations against Louisiana federal judge G. Thomas Porteous doesn't currently have any members.

Porteous is alleged to have lied on bankruptcy financial disclosure forms. Last year, the Judicial Conference referred allegations to the House. Last September, the committee voted to begin an investigation, and established a task force of committee members led by California Democrat Adam B. Schiff and Virginia Republican Robert W. Goodlatte. In October, the committee hired [Alan I. Baron], a partner at Holland & Knight, as special counsel to oversee the investigation.

The House voted to reauthorize the investigation for the 111th Congress on Jan. 13. . But the committee never officially reappointed members to the task force.That's a necessary formality, especially since two of the original task force members no longer sit on the Judiciary Committee. Committee aides said the panel will eventually have 12 new members, and Schiff and Goodlatte will be renamed as chairman and ranking. In the mean time, Baron will continue his investigation.