From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
United States Constitution
gives the
Senate
the
power to expel any member
by a two-thirds vote.
[1]
This is distinct from the
power over impeachment trials and convictions
that the Senate has over executive and judicial federal officials: the Senate ruled in 1798 that senators could not be impeached, but only expelled, while debating the
impeachment trial
of
William Blount
, who had already been expelled.
[2]
Expulsion has not occurred since the expulsion of Senator William Lorimer in July 1912.
Censure
, a lesser punishment which represents a formal statement of disapproval, has been more common since the start of the 20th century. Although censure carries no formal punishment, only one senator (
Benjamin R. Tillman
) of the nine to be censured has ever been re-elected. Unlike the
House of Representatives
, which also
disciplines by reprimand
, a censure is the weakest form of discipline the Senate issues.
Expelled senators
[
edit
]
Expulsion proceedings not resulting in expulsion
[
edit
]
Many expulsion proceedings have been begun by the Senate that did not lead to expulsion. In most cases, the expulsion failed to secure the necessary two-thirds vote, in other cases the senator in question resigned while proceedings were taking place, and some proceedings ended when a senator died or his term expired.
Censured senators
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
Federal politicians:
State and local politics:
References
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Sources
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