A Short Guide to Impeachment

Within the United States, impeachment is a relatively rare process. Only nineteen federal officials have been successfully impeached in the country’s history, two of which were Presidents (Andrew Johnson in 1868, and Bill Clinton in 1998).

Impeachment is the formal process of bringing charges against a sitting civil officer. At the federal level in the Unites States, this process is carried out solely by the lower legislature, the House of Representatives. After federal impeachment has occurred, the subsequent trial pertaining to the alleged charges takes place in the upper legislature, the Senate.

It is important to note that the impeachment process itself is not the process of removing the accused official from office, but is the process of formally bringing charges against the official. The trial that follows in the Senate is the means of removal. It is, however, possible for the Senate to acquit the official of the charges brought upon the accused. This results in a successful impeachment, but not a removal from office, as seen in both the cases of president Johnson and Clinton.

The following is a simplified outline of the events that occur in the successful impeachment of a federal official by the House and their subsequent removal from office by the Senate:

An impeachable offense is (allegedly) committed by a federal official.

For impeachment proceedings to occur there must be evidence that implicates the federal official in an impeachable offense. The U.S. Constitution defines impeachable offenses as “Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors”. The Constitution does not explicitly define what “other High Crimes and Misdemeanors” are, so this is often a point of contention within the process.

An uncountable number of federal officials have been accused of impeachable offenses. A very small set of these accusations lead to formal investigations.

The House of Representatives investigates.

The House must introduce impeachment resolutions in order to begin investigations into the alleged crimes committed by the federal official. These resolutions may be submitted as simply is if they were a bill. Afterwards, relevant committees, most notably the Judiciary Committee, investigate the supposed crimes. The committee then decides whether they will pursue Articles of Impeachment and share their findings with all members of the House.

Impeachment investigations into federal officials have occurred more than sixty times in U.S. history.

The House votes on Articles of Impeachment.

If the investigating committee chooses to pursue Articles of Impeachment , they share their findings with all members of the House and then bring the House to a vote. If the House votes in favor of impeachment with a simple majority, the federal official has officially been impeached.

Impeachment of a federal official has only occurred nineteen times in US history; only twice to a President.

The Senate holds a trial.

In a fashion very similar to conventional court proceedings, the U.S. Senate holds a trial in order to either convict or acquit the federal official of their alleged crimes. The Senate must vote two-thirds in favor in order to convict the accused of their crimes and remove them of office. If the Senate votes to acquit the accused, then the federal official is not removed from office.

Of the nineteen federal officials that have been impeached by the House, only eight of them have been convicted in the Senate and removed from office. All eight were federal judges.

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