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Home > Libraries & Collections > ASL > Government Documents Information > Government Resources by Subject > Impeachment


Impeachment
  • U.S. Constitution
  • Non-Partisan Background Information
  • Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
  • President Clinton's Situation
  • Report of the Independent Counsel and Replies
  • House of Representatives Impeaches the President
  • Senate Impeachment Trial
  • Further Information

The 1998 impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton marked only the third time in U.S. history that Congress had considered exercising this power. This guide attempts to place the situation into historical context.

U.S. Constitution

Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution states that "The President, Vice-President, and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, and other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

For non-partisan interpretative background on the impeachment clause, consult The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (pp. 583-91) and its supplements. The compilers cite relevant law review articles, cases, and legal precedents. Available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/index.html or Lockwood Reference KF 4527 .K54 1996.

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Non-Partisan Background Information About Impeachment

Background and History of Impeachment. Hearings before the House Judiciary Committee. Subcommittee on the Constitution. 105th Congress, 2nd session. November 9, 1998. Serial No. 63. 1999.
Lockwood Documents US Y4.J 89/1 (105th): 105/63
Leading Constitutional scholars and historians give their views on the impeachment process.

C-SPAN's Capitol Questions
The C-SPAN network answers questions pertaining to Congress and the government.

  • How does Congress initiate and conduct the process of impeachment?
    http://www.c-span.org/questions/weekly20.htm
  • The Constitution says a President can be impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors," but it doesn't define the term. Who decides what that means?
    http://www.c-span.org/questions/week119.htm
  • Is there anything Congress can do to "punish" President Clinton short of impeachment?
    http://www.c-span.org/questions/weekly95.htm

Constitutional Issues: Watergate and the Constitution
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/watergate_and_constitution/watergate_and_constitution.html
The National Archives prepared this lesson plan for use by secondary school Social Studies and History teachers.

Encyclopedic Information

  • Britannica Online
    http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/eb.html (off-campus access requires UB username and password)
    Search for impeachment and other related subjects.
  • CQ's Encyclopedia of American Government: The Presidency A to Z, A Reference Encyclopedia. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1998.
    Lockwood and UGL-SEL Ref JK 511 .P775 1998. (See pages 242-47)
    The article describes impeachment in historical perspective. Includes a brief list of further references.
  • Nelson, Michael. Guide To The Presidency, 3rd edition. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 2002.
    Lockwood and UGL-SEL Ref JK 516 .C57 2002. (See Volume 1, Chapter 9, pages 421-64)
    Presents a detailed discussion of impeachment. Includes numerous footnotes and further references.

Guide to Impeachment and Censure Materials Online
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/impeach.htm
Presents an introduction to the subject. Topics cover impeachment primers; constitutional and statutory provisions; the historical background; impeachment procedures; specific cases; censure; the Clinton controversy; academic opinion; and further readings. Students and legal professionals are the intended audiences.

Impeachment Documents Relating to a U.S. President (Auburn University. Ralph Brown Draughon Library)
http://www.lib.auburn.edu/madd/docs/impeach.html
Reproduces documents pertaining to the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, and the probable impeachment of Richard Nixon.

Procedure and Guidelines For Impeachment Trials In The United States Senate (Revised Edition) Prepared Pursuant To Senate Resolution 439, 99th Congress, 2d Session (1986)
Documents Microform US MicFiche Y1.1/3: 99-33
Separate sections discuss Constitutional provisions; Senate rules; sequence of events; precedents and practices; and sequence of events when closing the trial.

Books available in UB Libraries
Search two subject headings in Libraries Catalog : Impeachment and Watergate Affair.

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Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Finding Precedent: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
http://www.impeach-andrewjohnson.com
Reproduces over 200 excerpts from Harper's Weekly printed between 1865 and 1869.

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President Clinton's Situation

Report of the Independent Counsel and Replies

Clinton Impeachment-Related Documents
via GPO Access ( http://icreport.access.gpo.gov/ )
or via THOMAS ( http://icreport.loc.gov/icreport )
These sites make available the following materials:

  • Report of the Independent Counsel ("Starr Report"; House Document 105-310).
  • Appendices to the Report of the Independent Counsel (House Document 105-311).
  • Supplemental Material to the Report of the Independent Counsel (House Document 105-316).
  • Preliminary Memorandum of the President of the United States Concerning Referral of the Office of the Independent Counsel and Initial Response of the President of the United States to Referral of the Office of the Independent Counsel (House Document 105-317).
  • House Resolution 525, which authorized the release of the above documents, and authorized the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings to investigate grounds for the impeachment of the President. See also House Report 105-703 which summarizes and provides background to House Resolution 525.

These documents are also available in print in the Lockwood Documents collection, or on microfiche in the Capen Multimedia Center.

Starr Investigation Background Reports (Public Broadcasting Service)
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/starr_archive.html
The Public Broadcasting System covers news events in a through and non-partisan manner. All viewpoints receive equal coverage.

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House of Representatives Impeaches the President

Committee on the Judiciary Impeachment Inquiry
http://web.archive.org/web/20031206090600/http://www.house.gov/judiciary/icreport.htm
This is an unofficial archive of the congressional committee page which listed in reverse chronological order actions taken by the Judiciary Committee and the House of Representatives regarding the impeachment inquiry. Information includes testimonies of witnesses before the Committee; background materials prepared by the Congressional Research Service; statements by members of the Judiciary Committee; speeches in Congress; and the Starr Report and its related documentation.

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Senate Impeachment Trial

Senate Res. 16: Senate's Rules For Conducting the Trial.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:SE00016:
Senate Resolution 16 sets forth the rules for conducting the trial, which were unanimously agreed upon by the Senate on January 8, 1999.

President Clinton's Arguments

  • Answer of President William Jefferson Clinton To The Articles Of Impeachment, January 11, 1999.
    http://clinton4.nara.gov/textonly/WH/New/html/answerpr1.html
    Outlines the President's position on the Articles of Impeachment.
  • Trial Memorandum of President William Jefferson Clinton, January 13, 1999.
    http://clinton4.nara.gov/textonly/WH/New/html/senatebrief.html
    A detailed legal brief that presents the President's positions. Consult the House Reply to the Memorandum at http://web.archive.org/web/20040228035931/ and http://www.house.gov/judiciary/reply.htm (unofficial archive of original Congressional site).


Proceedings of the Trial

CNN Transcripts
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/resources/1998/lewinsky/archives/transcripts.html
Reproduces the proceedings of the trial.

Committee on the Judiciary Impeachment Inquiry
http://web.archive.org/web/20031206090600/http://www.house.gov/judiciary/icreport.htm
Unofficial archive of the original Congressional committee site which listed in reverse chronological order statements made by the House Managers and the President's lawyers.

United States Congress. Miscellaneous Senate Publications Related To Impeachment Of President William Jefferson Clinton
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/miscspub.html
Provides relevant resolutions and documents, plus pages from the Congressional Record which reproduce statements of the House Managers and the President's attorneys.

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Further Information

The following sites provide good overviews of all aspects of the trial.

  • Documents Center: University of Michigan
    http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/impeach.html
  • Legal Information Institute: Backgrounder on Impeachment
    http://www.law.cornell.edu/background/impeach/impeach.htm
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