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Picture of William Belknap sitting in a chair.
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Mayorkas Almost Became the Second Cabinet Member Impeached. The First Was a Civil War Hero.

Belknap’s downfall was his decision to abuse his authority to appoint “sutlers” or civilian merchants who ran trading posts that served military outposts.
Samuel Chase.

An Intemperate Man: The Impeachment of Justice Samuel Chase

The presence of Federalist judges frustrated Thomas Jefferson and his Democratic-Republican Party, bring justice Samuel Chase under fire.
A portrait of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase, nicknamed "Old Bacon Face," painted by John Beale Bordley in 1836.

Can a Supreme Court Justice Be Impeached? Meet ‘Old Bacon Face.’

Samuel Chase was the only Supreme Court justice to be impeached, after he openly campaigned for a president and told jurors who he thought was guilty.
Black and white side by side of Presidents Nixon and Trump

Watergate's Ironic Legacy

Amidst the January 6 hearings, the fiftieth anniversary of Nixon’s scandal reminds us that it has only gotten harder to hold presidents accountable.
‘This Little Boy would persist in handling Books Above His Capacity—and this was the Disastrous Result’; cartoon of Andrew Johnson by Thomas Nast, 1868

He Was No Moses

While he opposed slavery and southern secession early in his career, as president Andrew Johnson turned out to be an unsightly bigot.

A Post-Mortem

A look at the impeachment of Warren Hastings and the nature of American power.
Alan Dershowitz
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Trump’s Attorneys Have Butchered a Crucial Founder’s Take on Impeachment

Gouverneur Morris’s views changed during the Constitutional Convention — setting a good example for senators today.

Is Impeachment Only About Getting a Conviction?

A new history of Andrew Johnson’s trial reminds us the impeachment is a tool to constrain executive abuse of power and publicize dissent on matters of policy.
Congress in session.
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Why Impeachment Was the Answer to 17th-Century Tyranny

Charles I was charged with high treason, waging war against his people and conspiring to deprive them of their rights and liberties.

Trump's not Richard Nixon. He's Andrew Johnson.

Betrayal. Paranoia. Cowardice. We've been here before.

Historians' Statement on the Impeachment of President Trump

Over 1000 historians have signed this statement condemning President Trump's actions.

Republicans Defending Trump on Impeachment Should Fear the Judgment of History

For Nixon stalwarts on the House Judiciary Committee, defending the President became an inalterable epitaph.

Making Impeachment Matter

Democrats need to face up to their constitutional duty without fear.
Andrew Johnson impeachment.

The Common Misconception About ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’

The constitutional standard for impeachment is different from what’s at play in a regular criminal trial.
Senate trying Andrew Johnson for impeachment in 1868.
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Impeachment is the Right Call Even if the Senate Keeps President Trump in Office

Awaiting a Senate trial might curtail Trump's worst behaviors.
Trial of Warren Hastings in the Court of Peers, Westminster Hall.

Why the Founders Added ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’

In defining the scope of impeachment, they had in mind the alleged crimes of Warren Hastings.

"He Lies Like a Dog": The First Effort to Impeach a President Was Led by His Own Party

Long before President Donald Trump, there was President John Tyler.

A National Debate Over Politics, Principles and Impeachment — in 1868

Was the impeachment of Andrew Johnson a matter of national principles? Or an affair of pragmatic politics?

The Author of a New Book About Andrew Johnson on the Right Reasons to Impeach a President

Johnson’s impeachment was driven by his refusal to rid the country of the lingering effects of slavery.

The Case for Impeachment

Starting the process will rein in a president undermining American ideals—and bring the debate into Congress, where it belongs.
Drawing showing Nixon and Clinton in a criminal line-up

How Impeachment Works

It’s not enough to bring the articles of impeachment against an official – you have to convict them, too.

The Fight Over Andrew Johnson's Impeachment Was a Fight for the Future of the United States

The biggest show in Washington 150 years ago was the trial against the President of the United States.

Inside the Founding Fathers’ Debate Over What Constituted an Impeachable Offense

If not for three sparring Virginia delegates, Congress’s power to remove a president would be even more limited.

Impeachment, American Style

It’s our democracy’s ultimate weapon for self-defense. But does intense political opposition justify its use?

How Impeachment Ended Up in the Constitution

James Madison thought of a lot of good reasons to impeach a President. Members of Congress might want to consult his list.
Donald Trump walking onstage, next to four American flags.

‘The Dred Scott of Our Time’

The Supreme Court has invested the presidency with quasi-monarchial powers, repudiating the foundational principle of the rule of law.
1880 chart of American political history

Historians and the Strange, Fluid World of 19th-Century Politics

Why our understanding of the era has been hindered by the party system model.
U.S. presidential seal

Founding-Era History Doesn’t Support Trump’s Immunity Claim

Historians Rosemarie Zagarri and Holly Brewer explain the anti-monarchical origins of the Constitution and the presidency.
A photograph of Andrew Johnson.

Tennessee Johnson Reel vs. Real

The real Andrew Johnson compared with the only film made about his life.
Photoshopped image of a smiling President Richard Nixon wearing a white cartoon sticker that reads "Pardon ME! Gerald"

The Pardon of President Nixon: Annotated

President Ford’s unconditional pardon of Richard Nixon created political controversy. It also tarnished Ford’s own reputation with the American public.

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