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Constitution of the United States


  
 
 
Impeachment

If a federal official commits a crime or otherwise acts improperly, the House of Representatives may impeach—formally charge—that official. If the official subsequently is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial, he is removed from office.


Origins and Development

    Constitutional Authority   Article I, section 2, clause 5   Article I, section 3, clause 6 & 7
            Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice CRS Report (pdf)

    Grounds for Impeachment

            Article II, section 4
            Impeachment Grounds: A Selection of Collected Materials CRS Report (pdf)
            Impeachment Grounds: Part 2: Selected Constitutional Convention Materials CRS Report (pdf)

    Process and Rules

            An Overview of the Impeachment Process CRS Report (pdf)
            To Arrest an Impeached Senator Feb 5,1789
            Senate Adopts First Impeachment Rules Feb 5, 1789
            Senate Impeachment Trial Powers Upheld Jan 13, 1993
            The Impeachment Process: An Interview with Senate Parliamentarian Floyd M. Riddick (pdf)

Impeachment Trials in the Senate

    Cabinet Members

            War Secretary's Impeachment Trial May, 1876

    Judicial Impeachments

            Senate tries Supreme Court Justice Nov 30, 1804
            Congressional Oversight of Judges and Justices CRS Report (pdf)

    Presidential Impeachment

        Andrew Johnson
            The Senate Votes on Presidential Impeachment May 16, 1868
            ”Scene from the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. . .”
        William Jefferson Clinton
            Senate Publications Related to the Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton (GPO Web site)