Impeachment Explainer
Impeachment is a constitutional process for bringing charges against a federal official and deciding whether the official should be removed from office. In the United States, the House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach, while the Senate has the sole power to try impeachments. The distinction is crucial: impeachment by the House is a formal accusation, not automatic removal. A Senate conviction requires the agreement of two-thirds of the members present, making the trial outcome a separate constitutional decision.
The Constitution identifies treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors as grounds for impeaching the president, vice president, and civil officers. The final phrase has long generated debate because it is not defined as a precise list of ordinary criminal offenses. Congress evaluates allegations involving official conduct and abuses of public trust through its constitutional role. That does not turn every policy disagreement into an established impeachable offense. Arguments about the standard should be distinguished from the evidence offered for a particular charge.
The House can investigate and consider articles describing alleged misconduct. If a simple majority approves an article, the official is impeached and the matter can proceed to the Senate. House managers present the case during the trial, and the Senate determines the procedures and evaluates the charges. When a president is tried, the chief justice presides. Acquittal leaves the official unconvicted on the relevant article; conviction entails removal, with a separate question of disqualification from future office potentially considered under Senate practice.
Impeachment is different from a criminal prosecution. It concerns constitutional accountability and eligibility to hold office, while criminal courts apply their own laws, procedures, and penalties. Removal does not itself impose imprisonment, and the Constitution permits separate criminal liability. The process also differs from elections and from the Twenty-Fifth Amendment’s provisions for presidential inability. Understanding these separate mechanisms helps prevent misleading shorthand. A report that an official has been impeached should always be read alongside what the House charged, whether a Senate trial occurred, and what the Senate actually decided.
The House brings impeachment charges; the Senate decides whether to convict in a separate proceeding.
Federal impeachment concerns designated officials and constitutionally specified grounds rather than every disagreement.
House approval of an article requires a simple majority under its voting procedures.
The chief justice presides when the Senate tries a presidential impeachment.
Conviction requires two-thirds of senators present and carries removal from office.
Impeachment accountability and criminal liability are separate processes with different consequences.
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