Impeachment refers to the statement of charges by a legislative body against an elected official. It does not necessarily result in the elected official's removal from office.
The United States Constitution grants the authority to impeach to the U.S. House of Representatives (Article I section 2)
"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." (Article II section 4)
If you'd like to know more about impeachment, ask a librarian!
Angela Hackstadt, Subject Librarian for Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration & Law
Karina Ricker, Government Information Librarian
Make a PAWS appointment
Impeachment is not limited to the federal government. Each state defines their own impeachment processes through their state constitutions.
The Impeachment of Governor Sulzer by
Brings to life the dramatic and colorful career of William Sulzer (1863-1941), former governor of New York State.
The Constitution states "The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States" are subject to impeachment. Who are "civil officers"?
Historically, civil officers who have been impeached are judges and cabinet members. William Blount, a U.S. Senator from Tennessee was impeached in 1797 but the Senate dismissed the charges, deciding that Senators cannot be impeached.
Impeachment does not automatically remove someone from office. Following impeachment proceedings in the House, a trial is held in the Senate (assuming the person in question doesn't resign first).
In the event of a Senate trial, someone may be found Guilty, Not Guilty, or have the charges dismissed.
The First Impeachment by
William Blount (1749-1800), a land speculator and national politician, served as governor of the Southwest Territory from 1790 to 1796. In I796 he became one of Tennessee's first two United States senators. In 1796 and 1797 he became involved in a frontier plot to invade Spanish-held Louisiana and Florida, with British backing, in order to facilitate economic development in the western United States and to increase his land sales there. When the federal government discovered Blount's involvement in the conspiracy in mid-1797, the House of Representatives impeached him, the first time it ever exercised this power, and the Senate simultaneously expelled him.
High Crimes and Misdemeanors by
For the third time in forty-five years, America is talking about impeaching a president, but the impeachment provisions of the American constitution are widely misunderstood. In High Crimes and Misdemeanors, constitutional scholar Frank O. Bowman, III offers unprecedented clarity to the question of impeachment, tracing its roots to medieval England through its adoption in the Constitution and 250 years of American experience. By examining the human and political history of those who have faced impeachment, Bowman demonstrates that the Framers intended impeachment to be a flexible tool, adaptable to the needs of any age. Written in a lively, engaging style, the book combines a deep historical and constitutional analysis of the impeachment clauses, a coherent theory of when impeachment should be used to protect constitutional order against presidential misconduct, and a comprehensive presentation of the case for and against impeachment of President Trump. It is an indispensable work for the present moment.
An Affair of State by
President Clinton's year of crisis, which began when his affair with Monica Lewinsky hit the front pages in January 1998, engendered a host of important questions of criminal and constitutional law, public and private morality; and political and cultural conflict.
Impeached by
By the author of "The Summer of 1787" comes a dramatic re-creation of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, which became the central battle of the struggle over how to reunite a nation after four years of war. bw photographs.
