GOOGLE AI: On Impeachment and the US Constitution

Q.- Amendments to Article II Section 4

A.- Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution has never been amended. [1]

The original text remains unchanged since it was ratified in 1788: [1]

"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, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." [1]

Key Details

• Original Scope: Covers the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the U.S. (excluding members of Congress, who are disciplined or expelled under Article I, Section 5). [1, 2]
  

• Impeachable Offenses: Treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. [1]
  

• Process: The House of Representatives votes to impeach (a simple majority), and the

  Senate holds a trial to convict and remove (requiring a two-thirds vote). [1, 2]
  

If you are looking for information on how impeachment has been applied or proposals to change the impeachment process, let me know what specific aspect you want to explore.

Q.- Details of each and every case of impeachment, including charge(s), evidence presented and evidence considered and disposition of case.

A.- The U.S. House of Representatives has initiated impeachment proceedings more than 60 times, but has formally voted to impeach exactly 22 individuals in American history. Under the Constitution, the House serves as the grand jury (bringing charges), and the Senate serves as the High Court of Impeachment (evaluating evidence and determining the final disposition). [1, 2]

Every federal impeachment case is detailed below, arranged chronologically by category. [1]

Presidents

1. Andrew Johnson (17th President)

• Date of Impeachment: February 24, 1868
  

• The Charges: 11 articles primarily focused on violating the Tenure of Office Act by attempting to remove Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval, as well as making inflammatory speeches bringing Congress into disrepute.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The House managers presented formal letters showing Johnson had ordered Stanton's removal and appointed Lorenzo Thomas as interim secretary. Johnson’s defense argued that the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional (a view later validated by the Supreme Court) and did not apply to Cabinet members appointed by his predecessor, Abraham Lincoln.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted. The Senate voted on Articles 2, 3, and 11. All three votes finished 35 Guilty to 19 Not Guilty, falling exactly one vote short of the required two-thirds supermajority (36 votes) needed to convict. [1]
  

2. William J. Clinton (42nd President)

• Date of Impeachment: December 19, 1998
  

• The Charges: Two articles: Perjury (lying under oath to a federal grand jury about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky) and Obstruction of Justice (attempting to delay, impede, and conceal evidence regarding the Lewinsky relationship during a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Paula Jones).
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The Senate considered extensive physical and testimonial evidence gathered during the Independent Counsel investigation by Kenneth Starr. This included Clinton's videotaped grand jury testimony, audio recordings of conversations, official White House logs, and Clinton's semen-stained DNA sample found on Lewinsky’s dress.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted. On Article I (Perjury), the vote was 45 Guilty to 55 Not Guilty. On Article II (Obstruction), the vote split evenly at 50 Guilty to 50 Not Guilty, well short of the 67 votes required for conviction. [1, 2]
  

3. Donald J. Trump (45th President) — First Impeachment

• Date of Impeachment: December 18, 2019
  

• The Charges: Two articles: Abuse of Power (pressuring the government of Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden while withholding $391 million in congressionally approved military aid) and Obstruction of Congress (ordering executive branch agencies and officials to defy House subpoenas during the inquiry).

• Evidence Presented & Considered: House managers submitted a reconstructed transcript of a July 25, 2019, phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They also presented text messages, official emails, and live testimony from numerous State Department and National Security Council officials confirming a quid pro quo pressure campaign. The Senate voted not to subpoena additional witnesses or new documents during the trial.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted. On Abuse of Power, the Senate voted 48 Guilty to 52 Not Guilty (with Republican Senator Mitt Romney joining Democrats to vote guilty). On Obstruction of Congress, the vote was 47 Guilty to 53 Not Guilty along strict party lines. [1, 2]
  

4. Donald J. Trump (45th President) — Second Impeachment

• Date of Impeachment: January 13, 2021
  

• The Charges: One article: Incitement of Insurrection for encouraging a crowd of supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, which resulted in a violent attack that disrupted the certification of the 2020 Electoral College results.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: House managers presented extensive video compilations pairing Trump's "Save America" rally speech with graphic footage of rioters breaching the Capitol. They also introduced Trump's real-time social media posts, public communications, and statements from rioters claiming they acted on his instructions. Trump's defense argued his speech was protected under the First Amendment and that the Senate lacked jurisdiction to try a former president.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted. A bipartisan majority voted 57 Guilty to 43 Not Guilty (including seven Republicans voting guilty), but the count fell 10 votes short of the necessary 67-vote supermajority. [1, 2, 3]

Cabinet Secretaries

5. William W. Belknap (Secretary of War)

• Date of Impeachment: March 2, 1876
  

• The Charges: Five articles charging him with bribery and high crimes. Belknap was accused of accepting kickbacks from a private contractor in exchange for an appointment to run a lucrative military trading post at Fort Sill on Native American lands.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Just hours before his impeachment, Belknap tearfully resigned to President Ulysses S. Grant. The House proceeded anyway, presenting bank records, contractor receipts, and testimony confirming Belknap and his wives had received thousands of dollars in illegal payouts.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted. Belknap was a private citizen by the time the Senate voted. While a majority voted guilty, nearly two dozen senators voted "not guilty" solely because they believed the Senate lacked the constitutional jurisdiction to try a non-officeholder. The maximum vote was 37 Guilty to 25 Not Guilty, short of the two-thirds threshold.
  

6. Alejandro Mayorkas (Secretary of Homeland Security)

• Date of Impeachment: February 13, 2024
  

• The Charges: Two articles: Willful and Systemic Refusal to Comply with the Law (regarding immigration enforcement policies at the southern border) and Breach of Public Trust (making allegedly false statements regarding border security).
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The House presented border operational data, immigration enforcement statistics, and public congressional testimony given by Mayorkas. No formal trial was held in the Senate.
  

• Disposition: Dismissed. On April 17, 2024, the Senate voted 51–48 and 51–49 to rule both articles unconstitutional on their face because they detailed a policy disagreement rather than high crimes or misdemeanors. The charges were dismissed without a trial. [1]

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U.S. Senators

7. William Blount (Senator from Tennessee)

• Date of Impeachment: July 7, 1797

• The Charges: High misdemeanors for orchestrating a treasonous conspiracy to assist Great Britain in conquering Spanish-controlled territories in Florida and Louisiana, aiming to boost his own land speculation values.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The House presented an intercepted, handwritten letter from Blount to a Cherokee interpreter outlining his plot to recruit Native American tribes and British forces for a military expedition.
  

• Disposition: Dismissed. The Senate separately expelled Blount using its own internal rules, then formally dismissed the impeachment case on January 11, 1799, by a vote of 14–11, setting the precedent that members of Congress are not "civil officers" subject to impeachment. [1]

Supreme Court Justices

8. Samuel Chase (Associate Justice)

• Date of Impeachment: March 12, 1804
  

• The Charges: Eight articles stemming from extreme political partisanship and arbitrary rulings while presiding over circuit court trials, notably involving the Sedition Act.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The prosecution provided trial transcripts and witness accounts showing Chase acted as a prosecutor rather than an impartial judge, weaponized jury selections, and openly mocked defense attorneys. Chase's defense argued his conduct did not constitute an indictable, statutory crime.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted on March 1, 1805. The highest guilty vote on any count was 19 Guilty to 15 Not Guilty, solidifying the precedent that judicial philosophy and aggressive behavior are not grounds for removal. [1, 2]

Federal Judges

9. John Pickering (District of New Hampshire)

• Date of Impeachment: March 2, 1803
  

• The Charges: Intoxication on the bench and mental instability, alongside violating federal law by unlawfully releasing a seized cargo ship without a trial.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The Senate considered extensive witness testimony detailing Pickering shouting profanities, being visibly drunk in open court, and displaying incoherent behavior caused by severe mental illness.
  

• Disposition: Convicted. On March 12, 1804, the Senate voted 20–6 to remove him from office, establishing that "high crimes and misdemeanors" could encompass total physical or mental incapacitation. [1]

10. James H. Peck (District of Missouri)

• Date of Impeachment: April 24, 1830
  

• The Charges: Abuse of Power for holding a lawyer in contempt of court, sentencing him to jail, and suspending his law license for 18 months, simply because the lawyer published a public article criticizing one of Peck’s rulings.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The published newspaper articles, court records, and emotional testimonies detailing Peck’s heavy-handed punishment were examined by the Senate.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted on January 31, 1831. The Senate voted 21 Guilty to 22 Not Guilty, concluding Peck’s actions were legal under contemporary definitions of judicial contempt authority. [1]

11. West H. Humphreys (Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Tennessee)

• Date of Impeachment: May 6, 1862
  

• The Charges: Treason and rebellion for abandoning his judicial post to serve as a Confederate district judge during the American Civil War without formally resigning from his federal position.

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The House presented official Confederate records, newspaper clippings of Humphreys' secessionist speeches, and proof that he had routinely ordered the seizure of Union property and the imprisonment of Union loyalists. Humphreys failed to appear or answer the summons.
  

• Disposition: Convicted unanimously (39–0) on June 26, 1862. He was removed from office and permanently disqualified from future federal service. [1, 2, 3]

12. Mark H. Delahay (District of Kansas)

• Date of Impeachment: February 28, 1873
  

• The Charges: Gross personal misconduct, specifically chronic intoxication on and off the bench.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Multiple depositions and testimonies from local lawyers were collected, indicating Delahay routinely presided over trials while heavily intoxicated.
  

• Disposition: Resigned. Delahay resigned his office before the Senate could organize a formal trial. The Senate ceased proceedings on February 28, 1873. [1, 2]

13. Charles Swayne (Northern District of Florida)

• Date of Impeachment: December 13, 1904
  

• The Charges: 12 articles alleging corruption, financial fraud, and abuse of power, including padding travel expense accounts, using a railroad company's private car for free while it was in receivership under his court, and falsely imprisoning lawyers for contempt.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Vouchers, hotel receipts, and testimonies from the attorneys Swayne had jailed were reviewed. Swayne didn't deny using the railroad car but argued it didn't violate federal laws or corrupt his judgment.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted on February 27, 1905. The highest vote to convict was 35 Guilty to 47 Not Guilty, falling short of the required threshold. [1]

14. Robert W. Archbald (U.S. Commerce Court)

• Date of Impeachment: July 11, 1912
  

• The Charges: 13 articles charging him with using his office for personal financial gain by entering into corrupt business transactions with railroad litigants who had cases pending before his court.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: The House managers presented ironclad corporate contracts, bank records, and letters showing Archbald coerced railroad executives to sell him valuable coal-dump properties at steep discounts.
  

• Disposition: Convicted on January 13, 1913. The Senate voted to convict on five articles (the highest vote being 68–5), removing him and disqualifying him from future office. [1]

15. George W. English (Eastern District of Illinois)

• Date of Impeachment: April 1, 1926
  

• The Charges: Tyrannical conduct and abuse of power, including routine profanity on the bench, threatening to jail officials, and a corrupt scheme handling bankruptcy funds to favor a specific bank.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Extensive transcripts of English's verbal tirades and local bank deposit records were brought forward by the House.
  

• Disposition: Resigned on November 4, 1926. At the request of House managers, the Senate dismissed the proceedings on December 13, 1926, since he was already removed from the bench. [1]

16. Harold Louderback (Northern District of California)

• Date of Impeachment: February 24, 1933
  

• The Charges: Favoritism and nepotism for appointing personal friends as bankruptcy receivers and allowing them to charge exorbitant, inflated fees.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Financial ledgers, appointment logs, and testimonies from alternative qualified receivers who were passed over in favor of Louderback's close circle.
  

• Disposition: Acquitted on May 24, 1933. The Senate voted 45 Guilty to 34 Not Guilty, failing to hit the two-thirds line. [1]

17. Halsted L. Ritter (Southern District of Florida)

• Date of Impeachment: March 2, 1936
  

• The Charges: Seven articles alleging financial corruption, including receiving kickbacks from a former law partner via exorbitant receivership fees and underreporting income on tax returns.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Financial audit books, cash records, and tax filings. Ritter was acquitted on all six specific criminal charges, but the House included a final "catch-all" article.
  

• Disposition: Convicted on April 17, 1936. The Senate voted exactly 56–28 (exactly two-thirds) to convict on the 7th article for bringing his court into public scandal and disrepute, resulting in his removal. [1]

18. Harry E. Claiborne (District of Nevada)

• Date of Impeachment: July 22, 1986
  

• The Charges: Four articles for tax fraud and dishonesty, following a federal criminal conviction for filing false income tax returns.

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Certified copies of his criminal conviction, bank deposits, and tax documents showing he omitted over $100,000 in legal fees. Claiborne tried to remain on the bench to collect his salary while in prison.
  

• Disposition: Convicted on October 9, 1986. The Senate voted 87–10, 90–7, and 89–9 on three of the articles, removing him from office. [1]

19. Alcee L. Hastings (Southern District of Florida)

• Date of Impeachment: August 3, 1988
  

• The Charges: 17 articles detailing conspiracy to accept a bribe of $150,000 to reduce sentences for mob-connected defendants, followed by lying under oath at his criminal trial.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: FBI wiretap transcripts, undercover recordings, and polygraph data. Notably, Hastings had been criminally acquitted by a jury, but Congress reviewed the evidence independently and determined he committed perjury during that trial.
  

• Disposition: Convicted on October 20, 1989. The Senate voted to convict on 11 articles (with a peak vote of 69–26), removing him. The Senate did not vote to bar him from future office, allowing Hastings to later be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. [1, 2]

20. Walter L. Nixon (Southern District of Mississippi)

• Date of Impeachment: May 10, 1989
  

• The Charges: Three articles for making false statements to a grand jury regarding his attempts to intervene with a local prosecutor to drop drug smuggling charges against a business associate’s son.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Transcripts of Nixon's grand jury testimony compared against FBI wiretaps and direct testimony from the local prosecutor whom Nixon tried to influence.
  

• Disposition: Convicted on November 3, 1989. The Senate voted 89–8 and 78–19 on the first two articles, removing him from office. Nixon sued, arguing the Senate's use of a trial committee to hear evidence was unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court ruled in Nixon v. United States that the Senate has sole authority over trial procedures. [1, 2]

21. Samuel B. Kent (Southern District of Texas)

• Date of Impeachment: June 19, 2009
  

• The Charges: Four articles for sexual assault and obstruction of justice after criminally pleading guilty to lying to investigators about non-consensual sexual contact with two female court employees.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Kent’s formal federal criminal plea agreement, medical and psychological evaluations of the victims, and statements given to the judicial investigation panel.
  

• Disposition: Resigned. Kent resigned from office effective June 30, 2009, while already serving time in federal prison. The Senate formally dismissed the case on July 22, 2009, at the request of House managers. [1]

22. G. Thomas Porteous Jr. (Eastern District of Louisiana)

• Date of Impeachment: March 11, 2010
  

• The Charges: Four articles charging him with a long-running corrupt scheme, including taking cash, expensive meals, and luxury trips from lawyers with active cases before him, using a fake name to file for bankruptcy, and lying to the FBI during his background check.
  

• Evidence Presented & Considered: Extensive bank records, credit card statements, testimonies from the lawyers who funded his lifestyle, and false financial disclosure forms signed under penalty of perjury.
  

• Disposition: Convicted on December 8, 2010. The Senate voted unanimously (94–0) on Article I and heavily on the others, removing him from office and voting 94–2 to permanently disqualify him from holding future federal office. [1]

Summary of Dispositions

Official Type	Total Impeached	Convicted & Removed	Acquitted	Dismissed / Resigned
Presidents	3 (Trump twice)	0	4	0
Cabinet Secretaries	2	0	1	1
U.S. Senators	1	0	0	1
Federal Judges	16	8	4	4
Total	22	8	9	5

(Note: Richard Nixon is frequently associated with impeachment but is not on this list because he resigned before the full House of Representatives could vote on the articles.) [1, 2]