Representative Alcee L. Hastings

Alcee Lamar Hastings (September 5, 1936 – April 6, 2021) was an American politician and judge from the state of Florida who served as a Democratic Representative in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 until his death in 2021. Over 15 terms in Congress, he represented districts centered on the majority-Black communities in and around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach and became a prominent, if often controversial, figure in Florida and national politics. Following the departure of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from office in 2019, he became the dean of Florida’s congressional delegation, a title he held until his death.

Hastings was born on September 5, 1936, in Altamonte Springs, Florida. He grew up in the segregated South, an experience that helped shape his later commitment to civil rights and social justice. He attended Crooms Academy in Sanford, Florida, a segregated high school, and was active in student leadership and debate. After high school, he enrolled at Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee, where he continued to develop his interest in law, politics, and public service. He later attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and then earned his law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law, joining a small but growing cadre of African American attorneys in Florida during the civil rights era.

Following his admission to the bar, Hastings entered private legal practice in Florida and became involved in civil rights and community advocacy. He gained recognition as a trial lawyer and as an outspoken advocate for racial equality and voting rights. In 1970, he sought statewide office, deciding to run for the United States Senate after incumbent Senator Spessard Holland announced his retirement. In the Democratic primary, Hastings finished fourth out of five candidates, receiving 13 percent of the vote. Former Governor Farris Bryant led the field with 33 percent, and State Senator Lawton Chiles placed second with 26 percent; Chiles went on to defeat Bryant in the runoff and win the general election. Although unsuccessful, Hastings’s Senate campaign raised his profile in Florida politics and underscored his ambition to serve in higher office.

In 1977, Hastings was appointed a judge of the circuit court of Broward County, Florida, marking his formal entry into the judiciary. On August 28, 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated him to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on October 31, 1979, and he received his commission on November 2, 1979. With this appointment, Hastings became the first Black federal judge in the history of the state of Florida, a milestone in the diversification of the federal bench in the South. His early years on the federal bench were notable for his visibility and his willingness to speak publicly on issues affecting minority communities.

Hastings’s judicial career was overshadowed by a major corruption investigation. In 1981, following an FBI sting operation, he was charged with conspiracy to solicit a bribe in connection with a case before his court. After a criminal trial in 1983, he was acquitted of the charges. Nonetheless, questions about his conduct persisted, and in 1988 the United States House of Representatives impeached him for bribery and perjury. The United States Senate conducted an impeachment trial and, on October 20, 1989, convicted him, resulting in his removal from the federal bench. His service as a United States district judge was formally terminated on that date due to impeachment and conviction. The Senate, however, did not bar him from holding future public office. Hastings was the first and, as of 2025, remains the only African American federal official to be impeached, a distinction that would follow him throughout his subsequent political career.

Undeterred by his removal from the judiciary, Hastings turned to electoral politics. A Democrat, he ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1992 and was elected to represent a newly drawn, heavily Democratic and majority-Black district in South Florida. He took office on January 3, 1993, and served continuously in Congress until his death on April 6, 2021. From 1993 to 2013, he represented Florida’s 23rd Congressional District; after redistricting, from 2013 until his death, he represented the 20th Congressional District. His district encompassed most of the majority-Black precincts in and around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and he became known as a strong advocate for his constituents on issues such as voting rights, affordable housing, health care access, and economic opportunity.

During his 15 terms in the House of Representatives, Hastings contributed to the legislative process and participated actively in the democratic governance of the United States. He served on key committees, including the House Rules Committee, where he helped shape the terms of debate for major legislation, and he was involved in foreign affairs and human rights issues through his work with the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly known as the Helsinki Commission. As a senior member of the Florida delegation and, later, as its dean, he was an influential voice on matters affecting the state, particularly disaster relief, transportation, and programs serving low-income and minority communities. His long tenure in Congress coincided with significant periods in American history, including the post–Cold War era, the September 11 attacks and their aftermath, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Great Recession, and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, and he consistently aligned with the Democratic Party’s positions on civil rights, social welfare, and foreign policy.

Hastings’s congressional career was not without controversy. In June 2011, a staff member, Winsome Packer, filed a lawsuit alleging that he had made repeated unwanted sexual advances and threatened her job when she refused him. Packer, who served under Hastings when he chaired the Helsinki Commission and was stationed in Vienna, was represented by the conservative legal group Judicial Watch. Hastings denied the allegations and described them as “ludicrous,” publicly asserting his certainty that he would be vindicated. In February 2012, it was reported that Hastings would be released from the lawsuit and that the case would proceed only against the Helsinki Commission. In December 2017, it became public that the U.S. Treasury Department had paid $220,000 to settle the lawsuit. Hastings later complained that he had played no role in the settlement negotiations and that the manner in which the settlement was reported created the impression that he had personally agreed to or directed the payment.

Alcee L. Hastings remained in office and active in legislative work until his death on April 6, 2021, while still serving as the Representative for Florida’s 20th Congressional District and as dean of the state’s congressional delegation. Over the course of his career—as a civil rights–oriented attorney, Florida circuit judge, the state’s first Black federal district judge, an impeached and removed judicial officer, and a long-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives—he played a significant and often controversial role in Florida and national public life, representing the interests of his constituents and participating in the broader legislative and political debates of his era.