How does impeachment work?

#Who can be impeached, and for what

Article II, Section 4 covers the president, the vice president and “all civil Officers of the United States.” The grounds are “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The Senate’s history page says the definition of “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” was not specified in the Constitution and has long been the subject of debate.

Article I limits the penalty to removal from office and disqualification from holding federal office. A person convicted can still face criminal charges in court. The president’s pardon power does not reach “Cases of Impeachment.”

#What the House does

The House has “the sole Power of Impeachment.” The process can start with a member’s resolution, a referral from an outside source or a committee investigation. The Judiciary Committee ordinarily has jurisdiction. If it recommends impeachment, it reports a resolution containing the charges, called articles of impeachment. The full House can then adopt them by simple majority. The House also appoints members, called managers, who act as prosecutors in the Senate.

#What the Senate does

The Senate has “the sole Power to try all Impeachments.” Senators sit under oath or affirmation, and the chief justice presides when the president is tried. Conviction takes two-thirds of the members present. After a conviction, the Senate can hold a separate vote on disqualification, and a simple majority has been enough for that vote in the past.

Under its Impeachment Rule XI, the Senate can have a committee of senators take evidence and report to the full Senate. In Nixon v. United States (1993), a removed federal judge challenged that procedure, and the Supreme Court held his claim could not be decided by the courts. The Senate’s page says, “There is no appeal.”

#The record so far

As of November 2026, House records list 22 impeachments of 21 people. By office, they are 15 federal judges, including 1 Supreme Court justice; 4 presidential impeachments of 3 presidents; 2 Cabinet secretaries; and 1 senator. Senate records show 8 found guilty, 9 found not guilty and 5 ended by resignation or dismissal.

The presidential cases appear here by date with the same fields. The House and Senate lists linked below name every official. Senate votes are shown as guilty to not guilty.

• 1868: The House voted 126–47 on February 24. The Senate voted 35–19 on each of three articles, on May 16 and May 26. Result: not guilty.
• 1998–1999: The House voted on December 19, 1998, adopting two articles 228–206 and 221–212 and rejecting two others. The Senate voted on February 12, 1999: 45–55 and 50–50. Result: not guilty.
• 2019–2020: The House voted on December 18, 2019: 230–197 and 229–198. The Senate voted on February 5, 2020: 48–52 and 47–53. Result: not guilty.
• 2021: The House voted 232–197 on January 13. The Senate voted 57–43 on February 13. Result: not guilty.

The two Cabinet cases date from 1876, when the Senate’s result was not guilty, and 2024, when the Senate’s list records “Charges dismissed as unconstitutional.”

#A worked example: a federal judge in 2010

The case of G. Thomas Porteous Jr., a federal district judge, used every stage, including the separate disqualification vote. The House charged him with accepting bribes and making false statements under penalty of perjury.

• January 21, 2010: H. Res. 1031 is introduced and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
• January 27, 2010: The committee orders it reported, 24–0.
• March 11, 2010: The House adopts four articles: 412–0, 410–0, 416–0 and 423–0.
• December 8, 2010: The Senate finds him guilty on all four: 96–0, 69–27, 88–8 and 90–6.
• The same day: The Senate votes 94–2 to disqualify him from future federal office.