Thank you for taking a moment to read the Judiciary Committee report on the "Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment." I made this available on the web to answer the many constitutional questions raised by the recent release of the Independent Counsel's Report on the investigation of the President.

"The Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment" is a report which examines the history, grounds, and proper uses of impeachment, one of Congress's most important and least understood functions. It was written and released by the Judiciary Committee in 1974 in the aftermath of the Watergate crisis, when Congress pursued impeachment proceedings against Richard M. Nixon. The observations and conclusions of this report, which guided Congress almost 25 years ago, are particularly relevant today.

Unfortunately, as many of you have noted, the quality of the documents scanned here leaves something to be desired. Due to the poor condition of the original document, there is little we can do. In order to ensure that its introduction and conclusions are legible, I have converted them into HTML.

Thank you for your overwhelmingly positive response to these materials. I invite you to continue to refer to them and contact me with your thoughts and comments.

I. Introduction

II. The Historical Origins of Impeachment

A. The English Parliamentary Practice

B. The Intention of the Framers

1. The Purpose of the Impeachment Remedy

2. Adoption of "high Crimes and Misdemeanors"

3. Grounds for Impeachment

C. The American Impeachment Cases

1. Exceeding the Powers of the Office in Derogation of those of Another Branch of Government

2. Behaving in a Manner Grossly Incompatible with the Proper Function and Purpose of the Office

3. Employing the Power of the Office for an Improper Purpose or Personal Gain III. The Criminality Issue

IV. Conclusion