impeachment power
Congressional removal mechanism
The impeachment power is the constitutional authority to formally accuse and potentially remove government officials from office.
In the United States, the House of Representatives holds the power to impeach—to bring charges—while the Senate conducts the trial and may convict.
Congress's impeachment power serves as a check on executive and judicial misconduct.
- voteFormal choice expression
- Andrew JohnsonPost-Civil War president
- constitutionInherent physical or structural makeup
- high crimesOffenses justifying impeachment
- oathFormal binding promise
constitutional crisis · partisan divide · investigation · chamber · ballot · statute · accountability · trial · public trust · moral duty · hearings · sworn testimony · smoking gun · House vote · oversight · legislative authority · Richard Nixon · civic responsibility
impeachment powerpardon power
Authority to forgive crimes
sovereign immunity · immunity · amnesty · executive immunity · absolute immunity
impeachment powercriminal prosecution
Government's legal action against accused
judicial process · indictment · criminal trial · grand jury · civil litigation
impeach, impeached, impeaching, impeachment, impeachments, impeachable, unimpeachable, power, powers