Word: trialing
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Illinois lawmakers debate the likely impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich - who has repeatedly ignored calls for his resignation - the country has another impeachment on its mind: ten years ago Dec. 19, President Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for obstruction of justice in a trial related to his Oval Office dalliances with Monica Lewinsky...
Clinton was impeached by congress, but never actually removed from office. This is because impeachment is a two-step process and although it is taken very seriously - only seventeen federal officials have ever been impeached - it's really nothing more than a formal decision to commence a trial, in which a conviction would automatically remove the official from office. (See pictures of Presidential First Dogs...
...impeachment. It forms a special committee to gather information and evidence (or, in the case of Clinton, reviews the Starr report). The committee then presents the information to the House, which mulls over the evidence and votes on whether or not to impeach. If the vote passes, a formal trial is held in the Senate. If the Senate finds the official guilty of any of the House's charges, he or she is booted from office. (If this sounds boring, just read the above paragraph like it's a Schoolhouse Rock song...
...manner of speaking. In 1797, Congress found out that Blount had been conspiring with the British to take Florida and Louisiana from Spain, and the House immediately voted to impeach him. The Senate was so excited to get rid of Blount that it forgot to hold the trial and instead just voted him out of office. When the Senate realized its own error it was too late; the government couldn't decide to remove him from an office he no longer retained. Instead, the Senate cut its losses and considered the matter closed...
Still, it's doubtful that al-Zaidi will be released without trial, despite the intense public pressure, merely because such public affronts to leaders are extremely rare in the Middle East and unlikely to go unpunished. Justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done, so he will probably be tried and then either released with a fine or a muted sentence, according to several parliamentarians. Few doubt that he will be convicted. "It's about what happens after the conviction," says Othman. "Al-Maliki could do something about it, then pardon him or release...