Senator Cruz Moves to Impeach Federal Judges

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz called for the impeachment of two federal judges on Wednesday. He accused them of misconduct, an extremely rare move in Congress. Cruz specifically named Judge Royce Lamberth and Judge Randolph Moss. He cited two controversial actions. First, he criticized Judge Moss for imposing a gag order in the case against the man who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Cruz argued this order unfairly restricted free speech. Second, Cruz condemned Judge Lamberth’s sentencing decision in that same case. The attacker received a prison sentence significantly shorter than the maximum possible term. Cruz labeled this sentence excessively lenient. Impeaching a federal judge requires a majority vote in the House of Representatives and a two-thirds vote in the Senate. It has only happened a handful of times in U.S. history. Cruz’s push is considered a long-shot political effort.