Impeachment Process, Special Powers, Limits on Powers

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Impeachment Process, Special Powers, Limits on
Powers
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Impeachment

• Impeachment DOES NOT apply only to the President!
• Includes VP and Federal Judges
• Impeached for serious crimes
• Example?

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Process

• Charges are drawn up in the ___________?
• House of Representatives
• Charges read before the entire House
• Vote
• If majority, then the official is impeached
• Note, being impeached DOES NOT mean that the
  official is removed from office!
• Trial
• Held in the Senate (court), Judge is usually the
  VP, but if its the President, then the Judge is
  the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
• Senate is the Jury
• 2/3 must vote guilty to remove official from
  office

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So whos been impeached?

• Impeachment is rarely used but to date
• 17 Federal officials have been impeached
• Only 7 were found quilty and removed
• All of them were judges
• Presidents?

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Powers (This should be review!)

• Financing Government
• Regulating and Encouraging American Trade and
  Industry
• Defending the Country
• Enforcing laws
• Providing for Growth
• What Else????
• Elastic Clause can stretch delegated powers to
  cover many other things
• make all laws which shall be necessary and
  proper

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Special Powers for House

• Only the House can start impeachment proceedings
• All bills for raising must be started in the
  House
• If no presidential candidate receives a majority
  of electoral votes, the the House chooses the
  president

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Special Powers for Senate

• All impeachment trials MUST be held in Senate
• If no VP candidate gets majority of electoral
  votes, the Senate decides VP
• All treaties with foreign nations MUST be
  approved through the senate with 2/3 vote
• Presidential appointments (Supreme Court) must be
  approved by a Senate majority vote

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Limits on Powers

• Congress cannot pass the following
• Ex Post Facto Laws
• Bills of Attainder
• Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus
• Taxing Exports
• Laws that Violate the Bill of Rights
• Laws favoring trade of a state
• Granting titles of Nobility
• Withdrawing without a Law