Impeachment is the legal process of bringing charges against a government official for possible removal from office. It is rare and only used in cases of extreme misconduct. The details of impeachment vary by country, but it is typically initiated by a constitutional body for crimes committed by the official. The threat of impeachment can have an impact, and its existence in a constitution can affect the conduct of leaders.
Impeachment is the legal process of bringing charges against a government official to determine whether he or she can be forcibly removed from office. Despite a common misconception, it is not removal from office per se, but rather a necessary step towards that removal in many of the world’s governments. If the post-impeachment trial results in the official being convicted, the official will be removed from office. However, not all charges lead to a conviction.
Many countries include impeachment in their constitutions, although the details may differ. For example, who can be impeached, the body authorized to initiate proceedings, and the amount of votes needed to convict the impeached official can vary. Usually, only a constitutional body has the right to initiate impeachment, and in most cases it is the legislative entity. The process is typically only used in the case of crimes committed by the official in question, not out of simple mismanagement or unpopularity. An impeachment trial is similar in format to any other type of legal process.
In some countries, such as Ireland, only the president can be impeached. In many other countries, any public official is subject to impeachment for committed crimes. In the United States, charges can be brought at both the federal and state levels. State impeachments are governed by individual state constitutions and initiated by state legislatures.
Impeachment is quite rare in today’s world. England, for example, has not used it since 1806. It is considered an extreme measure, to be used only in cases of extreme misconduct on the part of the official. Often, the threat of impeachment is enough to make an impact, as when US President Richard Nixon resigned from office in 1974 under threat of imminent impeachment.
While 17 federal officers have been impeached in the United States since the country was founded, only seven have been removed from office as a direct result of the prosecution. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only presidents to have been impeached, in 1868 and 1998, respectively. The Senate, however, acquitted both men.
While impeachment is rare, many historians and political analysts argue that most cases are politically driven and even frivolous in retrospect. However, it remains a powerful tool for keeping the conduct of elected officials in good standing, even if it is rarely exercised. The mere existence of an impeachment clause in a country’s constitution can have an effect on the conduct of its leaders.
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