Alcee Lamar Hastings (/ˈælsiː/ AL-see; September 5, 1936 – April 6, 2021) was an American politician and former judge from the state of Florida.

Following Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's departure from office in 2019, Hastings became the dean of Florida's congressional delegation; he retained this title until his death.

[7] In 1981, after a sting operation by the FBI against attorney and alleged co-conspirator William Borders,[9] Hastings was charged with conspiracy to solicit a $150,000 bribe (equivalent to $518,796 in 2024) in exchange for a lenient sentence for Frank and Thomas Romano on 21 counts of racketeering and the return of their seized assets.

[9] Borders went to jail for accepting the first $25,000 payment, but was later given a full pardon by President Bill Clinton on his last day in office.

It concluded that Hastings had perjured himself and falsified evidence in order to obtain his acquittal, and that he had in fact conspired to gain financially by accepting bribes.

Tobin's work centered on a purse strap and whether it was strong enough to be snapped accidentally, which related to an alibi Hastings had given for being with Borders.

The FBI analysis, supported by Tobin, concluded that the strap had been deliberately cut, inferring that Hastings did so to concoct his alibi.

[18] Hastings attempted to make a political comeback by running for Secretary of State of Florida, campaigning on a platform of legalizing casinos.

Hastings was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus[22] and was elected president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in July 2004.

[26] On December 9, 1998, Hastings joined nearly all Democrats in voting against all four articles of impeachment introduced against Clinton, two of which were successfully approved by the House.

[29] Hastings voted to impeach Texas federal judge Samuel B. Kent on all four counts presented against him on June 19, 2009.

[30] On March 11, 2010, Hastings took part in the unanimous votes to approve all four articles of impeachment against Federal Judge Thomas Porteous.

[31] On October 31, 2019, Hastings joined nearly all Democrats in voting for a resolution directing how several committee should proceed in the then-ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, a Republican.

[34] Hastings and other members of the House of Representatives objected to counting the 25 electoral votes from Florida, which George W. Bush narrowly won after a contentious recount.

Pelosi reportedly favored Hastings over the ranking Democrat, Jane Harman, due to policy differences and the Congressional Black Caucus's support.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., to a conference sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council, he said, "If Sarah Palin isn't enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention.

"[41] On September 29, 2008, Hastings issued a written apology while standing by its core message: "I regret the comments I made last Tuesday that were not smart and certainly not relevant to hunters or sportsmen.

The point I made, and will continue to make, is that the policies and priorities of a McCain-Palin administration would be anathema to most African Americans and Jews.

"[42] In May 2009, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hastings spent over $24,000 in taxpayer money in 2008 to lease a luxury Lexus hybrid sedan.

The Journal noted that the expenditure was legal, properly accounted for, and drawn from an expense allowance the U.S. government grants to all lawmakers.

[43] In June 2011, one of Hastings's staff members, Winsome Packer, filed a lawsuit alleging that he had made repeated unwanted sexual advances and threatened her job when she refused him.

[49] Hastings was investigated by the House Ethics Committee in 2019 over his relationship with then-girlfriend and Congressional deputy district director Patricia Williams.

For nearly a decade, she received greater compensation than her superior, Hastings' chief of staff, typically the highest-paid role in a Congressional office.

[50][51][52] The Ethics Committee dropped its investigation after saying that Hastings had married Williams in 2019, as the rule did not prohibit spousal relationships with staffers.

His last rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund was an F, indicating that the organization believed that he did not support gun rights legislation.

[61][62][63] Following the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Hastings released a statement in which he said, "The stranglehold of the gun lobby has gone on long enough.