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Simple English definitions for legal terms

impeachment

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A quick definition of impeachment:

Impeachment is a process where the government can remove a public official from their job if they have done something really bad, like breaking the law or being dishonest. It starts with the House of Representatives investigating and deciding if the official should be impeached. If they are impeached, they go to trial in the Senate, where they can be removed from their job if two-thirds of the Senators agree. This process is only for important government officials like the President or judges, and they can still be punished by the law even if they are impeached.

A more thorough explanation:

Impeachment is a process used by the United States government to remove a public officer from their position. This process is not only for the President, but also for other civil officers, including Federal judgeships. The process involves a series of steps and procedures undertaken by the legislature, beginning with the House's impeachment inquiry and ending with a full-blown trial conducted by the Senate with the Chief Justice presiding.

  1. The House Judiciary Committee deliberates over whether to initiate an impeachment inquiry.
  2. The Judiciary Committee adopts a resolution seeking authority from the entire House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry. Before voting, the House debates and considers the resolution. Approval requires a majority vote.
  3. The Judiciary Committee conducts an impeachment inquiry, possibly through public hearings. At the conclusion of the inquiry, articles of impeachment are prepared. They must be approved by a majority of the Committee.
  4. The House of Representatives considers and debates the articles of impeachment. A majority vote of the entire House is required to pass each article. Once an article is approved, the President is, technically speaking, "impeached" -- that is subject to trial in the Senate.
  5. The Senate holds trial on the articles of impeachment approved by the House. The Senate sits as a jury while the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over the trial.
  6. At the conclusion of the trial, the Senate votes on whether to remove the President from office. A two-thirds vote by the Members present in the Senate is required for removal.

Impeachment was an established process in English law and government at the time of the drafting of the Constitution. The Founding Fathers incorporated the process, with modifications, into the fabric of United States government. The Constitution, however, only provides the framework-the basic who's, why's, and how's. The remaining procedural intricacies reside in the internal rules of the House and Senate.

Article 2, Section 4 of the Constitution states that "The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States" can be subject to impeachment. This includes Federal judges, but not House Representatives or Senators.

Article 2, Section 4 of the Constitution states that impeachment can occur "for, and on conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors." This implies that the impeachment process is not tightly linked to the criminal law. The standard remains undefined, but the language suggests that criminal action may be required.

The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, which translates into the power to indict. The House, through the Judiciary Committee, conducts investigation and gathers evidence. At the proper time, the House assembles the evidence into individual indictments or charges known as Articles of Impeachment. Each article requires a majority vote of the House to pass to the Senate. The trial of the impeached officer is held in the Senate, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding over the trial. A two-thirds vote by the Members present in the Senate is required for removal.

In 2019, President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate held a trial, but ultimately did not vote to remove him from office. This example illustrates the process of impeachment and how it can be used to hold public officials accountable for their actions.

impeach | impeachment of a witness

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13:34
i don't think it has a detrimental effect on your chances of admission
13:34
but also you don't need to tell them anything so lol
Can y'all help me understand something lol. What does it mean for an app to "go complete"? Is that when the school has reviewed it and made a decision?
13:35
Na, it's when they have all the required information
Gotcha. So what would be the difference between received and completed?
Does complete entail like the app + LORs?
13:35
correct
That makes sense. Thank you!
13:36
complete basically means they've acknowledged receipt and it's ready to go under review whenever they start the deliberative process
Quillinit
13:40
I still haven't had Chicago or Cornell go complete, but I think that's just how they be
13:41
when did you submit
CaringEquableGuppy
13:42
How do you know when an application is complete? Is it on LSAC or the school's portal?
13:43
it'll be on the school-specific portal
Quillinit
13:44
when they opened
Quillinit
13:45
they both say something along the lines of "received and waiting to be processed"
13:48
anyone have good resources for revising a personal statement for reuse after applying with it last cycle?
13:49
Any guesses when Cornell and Penn CRS fee waivers will go out?
13:51
@Quillinit: from my recollection, chicago and cornell collapse complete/UR1 into a single step, so they may simply not be ready to begin reviewing applications
13:52
i think it's fair to assume, barring a handful of schools like UVA, most schools won't begin reviewing applications in earnest until the beginning of next month at the earliest, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear that applications are just sitting in the queue
13:54
@oakenrays: I was just gonna write a new one personally but I think you want to make it recognizably different from your previous PS
13:56
@baddestbunny: definitely agree that some revision and additional information is warranted but, my why law is the same... I guess just tell the same story in a different way
14:03
ugh fineeee I'll write a new stupid essay
14:07
yeah I told my last essay about a formative experience and am trying to update it now to be about what I’ve learned since that experience
recently wrapped up interview
i re-wrote my PS this cycle when I reapplied
fire drill at work
so lit
Quillinit
15:10
oh fun @info-man, Chicago just changed to complete today, so we'll see
boglue
15:23
do you have to have lawhub advantage for the lsd status checker to work
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