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Simple English definitions for legal terms

impeachment

Read a random definition: Negligence

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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starfishies
11:33
I also just got to UR2 woo but I applied like 11/1
soyalmondoatmilk
11:33
omg so cool! i want to work in texas too!
Are you from Texas?
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
11:34
Mine was like UR1 9/25, UR2 9/26, UR3 10/15...then radio silence
soyalmondoatmilk
11:34
yes!
starfishies
11:34
yeah i expect silence until like march lmao as a best case scenario if they get back sooner imma assume its an R
soyalmondoatmilk
11:34
i wanna give back to my community
@WorthlessAttractiveZombie: yeah, I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up lol
starfishies
11:35
it was just nice to see some life in my status checker
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
11:35
texas, you probably dont need to worry, you will be fine lol
Yeah, it’s just odd. All the people with similar stats who applied in sept already got in
triplethread
11:36
@snow: its so frustrating LOL i will be back in a few days just so im not checking every day with no movement. i think if i come back in after a little break and get some URs I will be happier
triplethread
11:37
i will see you guys next week
soap
11:39
I'm looking at profiles of people working at unicorn PI firms, and boy, do I feel behind in life XD
HopefullyInLawSchool
11:44
Salutations on this brisk morning from Santa Barbara
babycat
11:48
I met a public defender the other day who told me she was the only one of her classmates who didn't end up changing careers and it's bc she loves her job
snow
11:50
criminal defense is where its at
starfishies
11:50
i fully expect to change my career again but i think its just cause i dont like any jobs lol
starfishies
11:51
teaching is not it guys
babycat
11:55
I used to sub teach and it was pretty fun but I was always in elementary school
babycat
11:56
high school seems crazy
if teachers made any money i'd be teacher i like working with kids but also w the way the education system is now it's so disincentivizing (also you're broke)
high schoolers genuinely can't write like. physically pen on paper it's so bad
i was a TA and it was genuinely insane any sense of like manners or how to act in an academic setting has gone down the drain
HopefullyInLawSchool
12:02
Im a leader for a youth group and seeing how parents act I could only imagine being a teacher
BulbasaurNoLikeCardio
12:03
I loved my last job, current job is okay but super boring and no meaning. Law should be pretty chill
JumpySubsequentDolphin
12:03
i used to work w kids and one time one of them asked me if I could tell them what the n word is
HopefullyInLawSchool
12:04
The kids around me will say brainrot
HopefullyInLawSchool
12:05
Skibi
HopefullyInLawSchool
12:05
Hawk Tuah
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