Sim Lake
Encyclopedia
Simeon Timothy "Sim" Lake III (July 4, 1944, Chicago, Illinois) is an American
judge and attorney who has served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
since 1988. He notably presided over the trial of Enron Chairman Ken Lay and former Chief Executive Officer Jeff Skilling.
Lake graduated from Texas A&M University
in 1966 and was number one in his class at the University of Texas School of Law
in 1969 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/enron/3619919.html. He served in U.S. Army from 1970 to 1971 as a Judge Advocate General's Corps
prosecutor in Vietnam
, then worked at the law firm
of Fulbright & Jaworski
LLP in Houston, Texas
through most of 1972 to the late 1980s. He was appointed as a judge on the U.S. District Court's Southern District of Texas in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan
.
Prior to Enron, 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 significantly longer sentences to act as a deterrent for other white collar criminals.
He later vacated all convictions of Ken Lay
, following Lay's death, allowing Lay's family to keep all Lay's accumulated wealth, a ruling later upheld despite the public's attempt to overrule and recover its multibillion dollar losses.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4315235.html.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
judge and attorney who has served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of Texas...
since 1988. He notably presided over the trial of Enron Chairman Ken Lay and former Chief Executive Officer Jeff Skilling.
Lake graduated from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in 1966 and was number one in his class at the University of Texas School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
in 1969 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/enron/3619919.html. He served in U.S. Army from 1970 to 1971 as a Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
prosecutor in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, then worked at the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Fulbright & Jaworski
Fulbright & Jaworski
The international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. is one of the largest law firms in the United States with nearly 1,000 attorneys in over 50 practice areas. The firm was founded in Houston in 1919 by R. C. Fulbright, an attorney working in railway regulation, and J.H. Crooker, a litigator...
LLP in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
through most of 1972 to the late 1980s. He was appointed as a judge on the U.S. District Court's Southern District of Texas in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Prior to Enron, in other notable cases:
- In 2004, Lake ordered the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
removed from a display on the grounds of the Harris CountyHarris County, TexasAs of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
Civil Courthouse. - In 1999, he ordered the Houston Independent School DistrictHouston Independent School DistrictThe Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities...
to pay private school tuition for a disabled student it could not accommodate. - In 1997, Lake directed an acquittalAcquittalIn the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
and mistrial of Stanislaw BurzynskiStanislaw BurzynskiStanislaw Rajmund Burzynski is a biochemist and a physician. He is founder, president and chairman of Burzynski Research Institute Inc. , based in Houston and Stafford, Texas...
on three dozen counts of fraud after a jury deadlocked on the fate of the cancer doctor who used experimental therapies. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/enron/3619919.html
On October 23, 2006 Lake sentenced Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling is the former president of Enron Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2006 he was convicted of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse, and is currently serving a 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal...
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 significantly longer sentences to act as a deterrent for other white collar criminals.
He later vacated all convictions of Ken Lay
Kenneth Lay
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Lay was an American businessman, best known for his role in the widely reported corruption scandal that led to the downfall of Enron Corporation. Lay and Enron became synonymous with corporate abuse and accounting fraud when the scandal broke in 2001...
, following Lay's death, allowing Lay's family to keep all Lay's accumulated wealth, a ruling later upheld despite the public's attempt to overrule and recover its multibillion dollar losses.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4315235.html.