Impeachment

A snippet from the past

Sent from my iPad AirImpeachment is a quasi-judicial process of removing from office certain government officials for culpable violation of the Constitution, breach of public trust and/or other high crimes. It is a political enterprise engaged in by members of the lower house acting as prosecutors, and by senators acting as judges.

It is “political” only in the symbolic sense that the people are represented when their congressmen and senators do their impeachment chores, the technical appreciation of evidence being the concern of the legislators, not their constituents. It would thus be wrong for the solons to succumb to the pressures of public opinion, lest they be later held critiqued for “trial by publicity”.

The lower house
An investigation of the Complaint in order to determine if it is “sufficient in form and in substance” is done by the justice committee of the lower house and, if so affirmatively determined, the same is forwarded to the house’s plenary assembly for deliberation to determine probable cause of the charge or charges therein contained.

Then, if such probable cause is ascertained by 2/3 vote of all the house members, the respondent is declared impeached, and the Complaint and its annexes are then forwarded to the senate, that may now convene itself as a court in order to try the impeached respondent. The senate president will preside.