Impeachment

=Impeachment= toc Impeachment is the process of taking a person out of office. Two Presidents have been impeached in the U.S. History, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Richard Nixon was about to be impeached, but he resigned first. The Constitution shows the process of impeachment in the first article, sections two and three, and in the second article, section 4.



How it Began
The process of Impeachment is shown in the Constitution. Impeachment had to start because if people if the country elected a person who didn't full-fill his or her duties in his or her elected position, they needed a way to get that person out of office. It is up to the legislative branch to make the impeachment decisions. If it is a president being impeached, the House of Representatives votes on it, and then the Senate sets up a trial for the president. The Senate may also postpone the trial. When an official is impeached, the individual who's job is under his or her takes the position. For example, if a president were impeached, the vice president would step up as the president. If the vice president were impeached, then the speaker of house takes over, and so on. Impeachment is a very important process.

Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868, making him the first president to be impeached in US. History. Johnson's presidency began in 1865, after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He was prosecuted for going against the Tenure of Office Act, which says you must have permission from the Senate to remove a federal official. There were also acts that led up to his impeachment, such as bad decisions, but violation of the act made it certain that he should be impeached. Johnson's trial of Impeachment is one of the most famous trials in American history, because it went on for so long and had so many votes,over rulings, and more. Andrew Johnson was officially impeached on May 16, 1868.



Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton was impeached in 1999, making him the second president to be impeached. Clinton's presidency began in 1992, and he was impeached during his second term. He was impeached for having sexual relationships with a White House intern, and then lying about. The young woman, Monica Lewinsky, denied it as well. A woman named Paula Jones filed a law suit on the topic in May of 1994, and it was settled on 1998. Evidence showed that Bill Clinton did have an affair with Lewinsky. The Senate voted to impeach Clinton on February 12, 1998; his term was almost over, so he stayed in the White House until his presidency was finished.



Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was never impeached, because he decided to resign before hand. His case is still very important, though. Nixon's presidency began in 1968, and four years later he was re-elected. It was in his second term that he was almost impeached. This happened because he knew about a break in inside the Watergate office complex, where the Democratic National Committee's offices were. He lied about what happened, making him guilty of "Obstruction of Justice." Tapes showed the evidence. When the tapes were introduced, Nixon, knowing he had lost all support from the congress, stepped down from presidency before the vote would make him.

Impeachment in Years to Come
The presidents that have been impeached include Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and (almost) Richard Nixon. The impeachment process is set out in the constitution. To change part of the constitution, there has to be a new amendment made to allow you to change a a rule. The impeachment regulations are set out very carefully, so there probably won't be issues with their status any time soon. One things for sure, we cannot tell who the next officials that get thrown out of office will be, but we can tell that the impeachment process will be with us for years to come.