Sim Lake Explained

Sim Lake
Office:Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Term Start:July 5, 2019
Office1:Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Term Start1:August 12, 1988
Term End1:July 5, 2019
Appointer1:Ronald Reagan
Predecessor1:Ross N. Sterling
Successor1:Drew B. Tipton
Birth Name:Simeon Timothy Lake III
Birth Date:4 July 1944
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education:Texas A&M University (BA)
University of Texas (JD)

Simeon Timothy Lake III (born July 4, 1944) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. His notable trials include the trial of Enron Chairman Ken Lay and former Chief Executive Officer Jeff Skilling.

Education and career

Lake was born on July 4, 1944, in Chicago. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A&M University in 1966, where he participated in the MSC Student Conference on National Affairs committee. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1969, graduating number one in his class.[1] He was in private practice of law in Houston, Texas from 1969 to 1970. He was in the United States Army from 1970 to 1971 as a Judge Advocate General's Corps prosecutor in Vietnam. He was in private practice of law in Houston from 1972 to 1988, with the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP.

Federal judicial service

Lake was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1988, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas vacated by Judge Ross N. Sterling. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 11, 1988, and received commission on August 12, 1988. He assumed senior status on July 5, 2019.

Notable cases

Besides the Enron cases, Lake has participated in other notable cases:

On October 23, 2006, Lake sentenced Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling to the minimum possible sentence under federal guidelines, 24 years, with significantly less time actually expected to be served by Skilling. Lake imposed this rather lenient sentence despite federal laws that would have allowed for a significantly longer prison sentence.

In April 2013, Judge Lake ruled[3] that videos showing cruelty to animals are protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution despite laws against cruelty to animals and evidence that cruelty to animals can be a precursor to cruelty to human beings[4] [5] [6] as well as murder. A petition has been launched to reverse this ruling.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Enron judge comes to trial well-prepared.
  2. Web site: Enron judge comes to trial well-prepared. Mary. Flood. Copyright 2006 Houston. Chronicle. January 28, 2006. Houston Chronicle.
  3. Web site: Judge: Animal snuff films protected by 1st Amendment. Sam . Wood . www.inquirer.com.
  4. Web site: From Animal Cruelty to Serial Murder: Applying the Graduation Hypothesis. sagepub.com. 12 May 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151010001048/http://ijo.sagepub.com/content/47/1/71.short. 10 October 2015.
  5. The Relationship of Animal Abuse to Violence and Other Forms of Antisocial Behavior. ARNOLD. ARLUKE . Arnold Arluke . JACK. LEVIN. CARTER. LUKE. FRANK. ASCIONE. 1 September 1999. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 14. 9. 963–975. 10.1177/088626099014009004. 145797691.
  6. Web site: Animal Cruelty and Violence against Humans: Making the Connection. heinonline.org.