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Impeachment in the United States
Abridged version from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the legislature which allows
for formal charges to be brought against a high official of government for conduct
committed in office. The trial or removal of an official is separate from the act of
impeachment. Typically, the lower house of the legislature will impeach the official and
the upper house will conduct the trial.
At the Federal level, the House of Representatives has the sole power of impeaching
the president, Vice President and all other civil officers of the United States. Officials
can be impeached for: "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors." The
US Senate has the sole power to try all Impeachments. The removal of impeached
officials is automatic upon conviction in the Senate.
Impeachment can also occur at the state level; state legislatures can impeach state
officials, including governors, according to their respective constitutions.
Federal impeachment
Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution states:
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.
House of Representatives
Impeachment proceedings may be commenced by a member House of Representatives
on his or her own initiative. The impeachment process may be triggered by nonmembers, for example: the procedure in the Clinton case was initiated by independent
counsel Kenneth Starr.
The House Committee on the Judiciary, by majority vote, will determines whether
grounds for impeachment exist. If the Committee finds grounds for impeachment they
will set forth specific allegations of misconduct in one or more "articles of impeachment."
The Impeachment Resolution, or Article(s) of Impeachment, are then reported to the full
House with the committee's recommendations.
The House debates the resolution and may at the conclusion consider the resolution as
a whole or vote on each article of impeachment individually. A simple majority of those
present and voting is required for each article or the resolution as a whole to pass. After
receiving the notice, the Senate will adopt an order notifying the House that it is ready to
receive the managers.
Senate
The proceedings unfold in the form of a trial, with each side having the right to call
witnesses and perform cross-examinations. Senators must also take an oath that they
will perform their duties honestly and with due diligence. Conviction requires a twothirds majority. The Senate may vote thereafter to punish the individual only by
removing her or him from office, or by barring her or him from holding future office, or
both. Alternatively, it may impose no punishment. But in the case of executive officers,
removal follows automatically upon conviction. The defendant remains liable to criminal
prosecution.
History
Congress traditionally regards impeachment as a power to use only in extreme cases;
the House of Representatives has initiated impeachment proceedings only 62 times
since 1789. Impeachments of only the following seventeen federal officers have taken
place,

President Richard Nixon who decided to resign before his conviction by the
Senate:

Two presidents: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton*, both acquitted by the Senate.

One cabinet officer

One senator

Twelve federal judges.
*The House of representatives impeached Pdt Clinton on December 19, 1998 on
grounds of perjury to a grand jury (voting 228-206) and obstruction of justice (221-212).
Two other articles of impeachment failed — a second count of perjury in the Jones
case (205-229), and one accusing Clinton of abuse of power (148-285). The Senate
impeachment trial lasted from January 7, 1999 until February 12. No witnesses were
called during the trial. A two-thirds majority, 67 votes, would have been necessary to
remove the President from office. The both charges were defeated: perjury (45-55) and
obstruction of justice (50-50).
Impeachment in the states
State legislatures can impeach state officials, including governors. Impeachment and
removal of governors has happened occasionally throughout the history of the United
States, usually for corruption charges. A total of seven U.S. state governors have faced
impeachment. As of 2005 the most recent impeachment of a U.S. state governor took
place in Arizona and resulted in the removal of Governor Evan Mecham in 1988;
several others, most recently Connecticut’s John G. Rowland, have resigned rather
than face impeachment, when events seemed to make it appear inevitable.