Power Of Impeachment

Impeachment is the power of the legislative branch granted to it by the Constitution to remove any federal officer from office on grounds of “Treason, Bribery, and other high Crimes and Misdemeanors” (US Const. art. II, sec. 4). This power is further detailed in Article I Sections 2 and 3. It gives sole power of impeachment to the House of Representatives and details that the Senate has the power to try all impeachments. The power of impeachment is a fantastic example of the philosophy that no man is above the law. The power of impeachment was written into the Constitution to insure the law is upheld and obeyed by even the most powerful people in the country. It serves to fight corruption and restrict power of the national government to act outside of the law that is common in countries with authoritarian rule. The Framers of the Constitution had also seen how impeachment had become a politicized offense in countries like England. They did not want the legislature threatening or convicting federal officers of impeachment merely because they did not agree with the officer’s …show more content…
The three of the most significant impeachments where brought against United States Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805, against President Andrew Johnson in 1867, and against President Clinton in 1999. None of these trials resulted in an impeachment. According to Stephen B. Presser in the Heritage Guide to The Constitution, these three cases stand for the idea that “impeachment should not be perceived as a device simply to remove a political opponent” (Presser). He further states, “the caution of the Framers has been fulfilled” (Pressure). The closest the United States has come to en impeachment is in the case of President Nixon and the Watergate scandal. While several charges of impeachment where brought against him, he resigned before the trial could be