Resolved,thatwhenanyquestionmayhavebeendecidedbytheSenate,inwhichtwothirdsofthememberspresentarenecessarytocarrytheaffirmative,anymemberwhovotedonthatsidewhichprevailedinthequestion,maybeatlibertytomoveforareconsideration:andamotionforreconsiderationshallbedecidedbyamajorityofvotes。RuleofFebruary3,1801。SEC。LIII。
IMPEACHMENT。THEHouseofRepresentativesshallhavethesolepowerofimpeachment。ConstitutionUnitedStates,I。3。
TheSenateshallhavethesolepowertotryallimpeachments。Whensittingforthatpurpose,theyshallbeonoathoraffirmation。WhenthePresidentoftheUnitedStatesistried,thechiefjusticeshallpreside:
andnopersonshallbeconvictedwithouttheconcurrenceoftwothirdsofthememberspresent。Judgmentincasesofimpeachmentshallnotextendfurtherthantoremovalfromoffice,anddisqualificationtoholdandenjoyanyofficeofhonor,trust,orprofitundertheUnitedStates。Butthepartyconvictedshallneverthelessbeliableandsubjecttoindictment,trial,judgmentandpunishment,accordingtolaw。Constitution,I。
3。
ThePresident,Vice-President,andallcivilofficersoftheUnitedStates,shallberemovedfromofficeonimpeachmentfor,andconvictionoftreason,bribery,orotherhighcrimesandmisdemeanors。Constitution,II。4。
Thetrialofcrimes,exceptincasesofimpeachment,shallbebyjury。Constitution,III。2。
ThesearetheprovisionsoftheConstitutionoftheUnitedStatesonthesubjectofimpeachments。ThefollowingisasketchofsomeoftheprinciplesandpracticesofEnglandonthesamesubject。
Jurisdiction。TheLordscannotimpeachanytothemselves,norjoinintheaccusation,becausetheyarethejudges。Seld。Judic。inParl。12,63。Aworkofdoubtfulauthority。4Hats。153,186。NorcantheyproceedagainstaCommonerbutoncomplaintoftheCommons。Ib。
84。TheLordsmaynot,bythelaw,tryaCommonerforacapitaloffence,ontheinformationoftheking,oraprivateperson;becausetheaccusedisentitledtoatrialbyhispeersgenerally;butonaccusationbytheHouseofCommons,theymayproceedagainstthedelinquentofwhatsoeverdegree,andwhatsoeverbethenatureoftheoffence;fortheretheydonotassumetothemselvestrialatcommonlaw。TheCommonsaretheninsteadofajury,andthejudgmentisgivenontheirdemand,whichisinsteadofaverdict。SotheLordsdoonlyjudge,butnottrythedelinquent。Ib。
6,7。ButWooddesondeniesthataCommonercannowbechargedcapitallybeforetheLords,evenbytheCommons;andcitesFitzharris'scase,1681,impeachedofhightreason,wheretheLordsremittedtheprosecutiontotheinferiorcourt。8Grey'sDeb。325……7。2Wooddeson601,576。3Seld。1610,1619,1641。4Blacks。257。3Seld。
1604,1618,9,1656。4Hats。200。etpassimcontra。
Accusation。TheCommons,asthegrandinquestofthenation,becomesuitorsforpenaljustice。2Wood。597,6Grey356。Thegeneralcourseis,topassaresolutioncontainingacriminalchargeagainstthesupposeddelinquent,andthentodirectsomemembertoimpeachhimbyoralaccusationatthebaroftheHouseofLords,inthenameoftheCommons。
Thepersonsignifiesthatthearticleswillbeexhibited,anddesiresthatthedelinquentmaybesequesteredfromhisseat,orbecommitted,orthatthepeerswilltakeorderforhisappearance。Sachev。Trial。325。
2Wood。602,605。Lords'Journ。3June,1701。1Wms。616。
6Grey324。
Process。Ifthepartydonotappear,proclamationsaretobeissued,givinghimadaytoappear。Ontheirreturntheyarestrictlyexamined。
Ifanyerrorbefoundinthem,anewproclamationissues,givingashortday。Ifheappearnot,hisgoodsmaybearrested,andtheymayproceed。Seld。Jud。98,99。
Articles。TheaccusationarticlesoftheCommonsissubstitutedinplaceofanindictment。Thus,bytheusageofParliament,inimpeachmentforwritingorspeaking,theparticularwordsneednotbespecified。Sach。
Tr。325。2Wood。602,605。Lords'Journ。3June,1701。
1Wms。616。
Appearance。Ifheappears,andthecasebecapital,heanswersincustody;
thoughnotiftheaccusationbegeneral。Heisnottobecommittedbutonspecialaccusations。Ifitbeforamisdemeanoronly,heanswersaLordinhisplace,aCommoneratthebar,andnotincustody,unless,ontheanswer,theLordsfindcausetocommithim,tillhefindssuretiestoattend,andlestheshouldfly。Seld。Jud。98,99。4Hats。176,185。Acopyofthearticlesisgivenhim,andadayfixedforhisanswer。T。Ray。1Rushw。268。Fost。232。1Clar。Hist。oftheReb。379。Onamisdemeanor,hisapperancemaybeinperson,orhemayanswerinwriting,orbyattorney。Seld。Jud。100。Thegeneralruleonanaccusationforamisdemeanoris,thatinsuchastateoflibertyorrestraintasthepartyiswhentheCommonscomplainofhim,insuchheistoanswer。Ib。101。IfpreviouslycommittedbytheCommons,heanswersasaprisoner。Butthismaybecalledinsomesortjudiciumpariumsuorum。Ib。Inmisdemeanors,thepartyhasarighttocounselbythecommonlaw;butnotincapitalcases。Seld。Jud。102……
5。
Answer。Theanswerneednotobservegreatstrictnessofform。Hemaypleadguiltyastopart,anddefendastotheresidue;or,savingallexceptions,denythewhole,orgiveaparticularanswertoeacharticleseparately。
1Rush。274。2Rush。1374。12Parl。Hist。442。3Lord'sJourn。13Nov。1643。2Wood。607。Buthecannotpleadapardoninbartotheimpeachment。2Wood。615。2St。Tr。735。
Replication,Rejoinder,&;c。Theremaybeareplication,rejoinder,&;c。Seld。Jud。114。8Grey'sDeb。233。Sachev。Tr。15。Journ。H。ofCommons,6March,1640……1。
Witnesses。ThepracticeistoswearthewitnessesinopenHouse,andthenexaminethemthere:oracommitteemaybenamed,whoshallexaminethemincommittee,eitheroninterrogatoriesagreedonintheHouse,orsuchasthecommitteeintheirdiscretionshalldemand。Seld。Jud。120,123。
Jury。InthecaseofAlicePierce,1P。2。ajurywasimpanelledforhertrialbeforeacommittee。Seld。Jud。123。Butthiswasonacomplaint,notonimpeachmentbytheCommons。Seld。Jud。163。Itmustalsohavebeenforamisdemeanoronly,astheLordsspiritualsatinthecase,whichtheydoonmisdemeanors,butnotincapitalcases。Ib。
148。Thejudgmentwasaforfeitureofallherlandsandgoods。Ib。
188。This,Seldensays,istheonlyjuryhefindsrecordedinParliamentformisdemeanors:buthemakesnodoubt,ifthedelinquentdothputhimselfonthetrialofhiscountry,ajuryoughttobeimpanelled,andheadds,thatitisnotsoonimpeachmentbytheCommons;fortheyareinlocoproprio,andtherenojuryoughttobeimpanelled。Ib。124。TheLd。Berkeley,6E。3。wasarraignedforthemurderofE。2。onaninformationonthepartoftheking,andnotonimpeachmentoftheCommons;forthentheyhadbeenpatriasua。Hewaivedhispeerage,andwastriedbyajuryofGloucestershireandWarwickshire。Ib。125。But4Hats。
73,sayshewasaCommoner,andthattherewasnowaiverofprivilege。
In1H。7。theCommonsprotestthattheyarenottobeconsideredaspartiestoanyjudgmentgiven,orhereaftertobegiveninParliament。Ib。133。Theyhavebeengenerally,andmorejustly,considered,asisbeforestated,asthegrandjury。FortheconceitofSeldeniscertainlynotaccurate,thattheyarethepatriasuaoftheaccused,andthattheLordsdoonlyjudge,butnottry。Itisundeniablethattheydotry。Fortheyexaminewitnessesastothefacts,andacquitorcondemn,accordingtotheirownbeliefofthem。AndLordHalesays,"thepeersarejudgesoflawaswellasoffact。”2HaleP。C。275。Consequentlyoffactaswellasoflaw。
PresenceofCommons。TheCommonsaretobepresentattheexaminationofwitnesses。Seld。Jud。124。Indeedtheyaretoattendthroughout,eitherasacommitteeofthewholeHouse,orotherwise,atdiscretion,appointmanagerstoconducttheproofs。Rush。Tr。ofStraff。37。Com。Journ。4Feb。1709……10。2Wood。614。Andjudgmentisnottobegiventilltheydemandit。Seld。Jud。124。ButtheyarenottobepresentonimpeachmentwhentheLordsconsideroftheanswerorproofs,anddetermineoftheirjudgment。Theirpresencehoweverisnecessaryattheanswerandjudgmentincasescapital,ib。158,159,aswellasnotcapital。162。TheLordsdebatethejudgmentamongthemselves。Thenthevoteisfirsttakenonthequestionofguiltyornotguilty:andiftheyconvict,thequestion,orparticularsentence,isoutofthatwhichseemethtobemostgenerallyagreedon。Sold。Jud。167。2Wood。
612。
Judgment。JudgmentsinParliamentfordeathhavebeenstrictlyguidedperlegemterræ;,whichtheycannotalter:andnotatallaccordingtotheirdiscretion。Theycanneitheromitanypartofthelegaljudgment,noraddtoit。Theirsentencemustbesecundum,nonultralegem。Seld。
Jud。168,171。Thistrial,thoughitvariesinexternalceremony,yetdiffersnotinessentialsfromcriminalprosecutionsbeforeinferiorcourts。
Thesamerulesofevidence,thesamelegalnotionsofcrimesandpunishmentsprevail。Forimpeachmentsarenotframedtoalterthelaw,buttocarryitintomoreeffectualexecutionagainsttwopowerfuldelinquents。Thejudgmentthereforeistobesuchasiswarrantedbylegalprinciplesorprecedents。6Sta。Tr。14。2Wood。611。TheChancellorgivesjudgmentsinmisdemeanors;theLordHighStewardformerlyincasesoflifeanddeath。Seld。Jud。180。ButnowtheStewardisdeemednotnecessary。Fost。
144。2Wood。613。Inmisdemeanors,thegreatestcorporalpunishmenthathbeenimprisonment。Seld。Jud。184。Theking'sassentisnecessaryincapitaljudgments,but2Wood。614,contrabutnotinmisdemeanors。Seld。Jud。136。