JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Oct. 6 -- The Missouri House voted Thursday to impeach Secretary of State Judith Moriarty, but she vowed to remain in office. The House approved three articles of impeachment charging Moriarty with misconduct in her handling of a candidacy filing by her son, Timothy Moriarty. Judith Moriarty, a Democrat elected to office in 1992, has been convicted by a jury on a misdemeanor charge of falsely certifying her son's candidacy. A bipartisan House committee had approved six articles of impeachment Wednesday. Three of the articles were approved in Thursday's vote by the full House, each getting a simple majority of the 163 members. House leaders have said state law provides for Moriarty to be suspended from office immediately pending a trial in the Missouri Supreme Court, where five of the seven judges would have to vote in favor of impeachment to make her removal permanent. However, Moriarty told reporters she had 'no intention' of leaving office. She said she would show up for work Friday and predicted state officials wouldn't try to remove her forcibly. Gov. Mel Carnahan met late Thursday with legislative leaders and state attorneys to determine the next step in the impeachment procedure. Lawmakers have said the impeachment gives the governor the right to name a temporary replacement for Moriarty. The impeachment proceeding was the first in Missouri in 26 years and the first of a statewide elected official since 1931. The charges were similar to those considered earlier by a grand jury and circuit court jury, both of which found Moriarty had acted improperly.
A jury in Cole County Circuit Court convicted Moriarty last month of a misdemeanor election-law violation. The articles alleged Moriarty directed that her son's candidacy for the state House be filed on March 29 to meet a filing deadline, even though he wasn't present in her office as required by law. The articles also alleged Moriarty instructed an aide and her son to declare his candidacy in late April or early May, weeks after the filing deadline. Moriarty's attorney has filed a motion for a new trial Wednesday.
