What the Impeachment Process Really Looks Like

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz around the President’s foreign affairs with Ukraine, resulting in an impeachment inquiry launched by the House of Representatives. But what does the word “impeachment” really mean, and what does the process look like?First and foremost, impeachment is defined as the “a proceeding instituted by a legislative body to address serious misconduct by a public official” (Britannica). Broadly speaking, impeachment is essentially the act of calling into question something that seems to be some sort of a crime or legislative wrongdoing. The actual process of impeachment in the United States follows many steps. To start, any member from the House of Representatives can bring about findings that they think are sufficient enough to be considered as an act of impeachment. Then, the House Judiciary Committee will look at and analyze the accusations and discuss the issues. Then, the House of Representatives will debate over the issue and take a vote. In order for the impeachment resolution to move forward, 51% of the House Judiciary Committee must agree on continuing the process. As of right now, the Democrats control the House. Again, 51% of the House have to agree on pushing the process forward. If the majority vote this way, the charges will be brought to the Senate, which represents the states, and is currently controlled by the Republicans.This begins another phase of the impeachment process. Senators then have to let the President know the charges being made against him or her, then write the accusational bill that will go to the Senate Trial. This trial will be headed by the United States’ Chief Justice; our current chief justice is John Roberts. The jury will be made up of Senators who will hear the evidence brought against the individual in question and hearings will be held, in which many will stand up and share their knowledge and insight of the conviction. From the trial, the Senate Jury will converse and come to a vote. At this point in the process, 67%, or two-thirds of the Senate, have to vote to convict and remove the individual in question from office.As we approach a monumental moment in history, we should be aware and informed of this process and how it may play out in these coming months! Make sure to tune into your news sources to keep track of the impeachment inquiry.