Presidential Impeachment: Past and Present
The involuntary removal of a sitting President of the United States has never occurred in our history. The only legal way such can be accomplished is by the impeachment process.
Article I § 2 of the United States Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach (make formal charges against) and Article I § 3 gives the Senate the sole power to try impeachments. Article II § 4 of the Constitution provides as follows: "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Thus, the operative legal standard to apply to an impeachment of a sitting President is "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." There is substantial difference of opinion over the interpretation of these words. | litigation.findlaw.com
In the 1st week of December 2019 the 4th Presidential Impeachment Inquiry in US History which commenced originally in the House Intelligence Committee in late September entered a new phase and hearings began before the House Judiciary Committee, featuring testimony on Wednesday December 4th from four constitutional law experts on the historical basis for impeachment.
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Reference Links for the 5 Impeachment Topics under discussion on this Board:
• Wikipedia: Second impeachment of Donald Trump, (2021) | en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia: First impeachment of Donald Trump (2019) | en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia: Impeachment of Bill Clinton | en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia: Impeachment process against Richard Nixon | en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia: Impeachment of Andrew Johnson en.wikipedia.org
• The History Place: Presidential Impeachment Hearings of Johnson, Nixon, Clinton | historyplace.com
Other Reference Links:
• Jurist Daily Legal News and Research | jurist.org
• Just Security | justsecurity.org
Dedication: Creation of this SI Board was inspired by my memories of US Representative Robert F. Drinan, SJ who was Dean of the Law School I attended in the mid-60s. Father Drinan was the first Congressman to call for President Richard Nixon’s impeachment when he served on the House Judiciary Committee and later as a Georgetown University Law Center Professor gave testimony and witness to that Committee in the Clinton Impeachment Inquiry along with 18 other Legal Scholars and Historians.
First Trump Impeachment Milestones
December 16, 2019: The Full 658 page House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Report Released | documentcloud.org
December 18, 2019: Trump Impeached on Two Articles by the House | Message 32467292
January 15, 2020: House approves impeachment managers, sending proceedings to Senate | Message 32506109
February 05, 2020: With a vote of 48-52 on the first article of impeachment and a vote of 47-53 on the second article of impeachment, the Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of both articles of impeachment. | Message 32539252
Second Trump Impeachment Milestones:
• January 06, 2021: Storming of the United States Capitol | en.wikipedia.org
- Eric L. - |
