Similar to the Congress of the United States, state legislatures can impeach state officials, including governors and judicial officers, in every state except Oregon.[1][2] In addition, the legislatures of the territories of American Samoa,[3] Northern Mariana Islands,[4] and Puerto Rico[5] have impeachment powers. Impeachment describes the process through which the legislature may bring charges and hold a trial with a penalty including removal from office.
Some aspects of how impeachment is conducted in different states and territories different, however they all commonly follow the bifurcated model used by the federal government of having a legislative chamber first vote to impeach an official before then holding an impeachment trial to determine whether to convict and remove that official.
Impeachment processes by state/territory
Some aspects of how impeachment is conducted in different states and territories different, however they all commonly follow the bifurcated model used by the federal government of having a legislative chamber first vote to impeach an official before then holding an impeachment trial to determine whether to convict and remove that official. This takes cues from the practice of impeachment in England.[6] Like the federal government, most have their lower chamber of their legislatures hold the vote to impeach, and have the subsequent impeachment trial take place in the upper chamber of their legislatures.[6][1] However, several states do differ from the convention of holding the impeachment trial in their upper chamber. In a reverse, in Alaska it is the upper chamber of the legislature that votes to impeach while the lower chamber acts as the court of impeachment.[1] In Missouri, after the lower chamber votes to impeach, an impeachment trial is held before the Supreme Court of Missouri, except for members of that court or for governors, whose impeachments are to be tried by a panel of seven judges (requiring a vote of five judges to convict), with the members of the panel being selected by the upper legislative chamber, the Missouri State Senate.[7] In Nebraska, which has a unicameral legislature, after the Nebraska Legislature votes to impeach, an impeachment trial takes place before the Nebraska Supreme Court.[1] In addition to all the members of its upper chamber, the state of New York's Court of the Trial of Impeachments also includes all seven members of the state's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals.[8]
| State/territory/fed. district | Body which impeaches | Body which holds trial/convicts | Offices subject to impeachment by state/territorial government | Presiding officer specifications for trials | Specified reasons for which officials can be impeached[1] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | House of Representatives (majority vote needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) |
| "Willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetency, or intemperance in the use of intoxicating liquors or narcotics to such an extent, in view of the dignity of the office and importance of its duties, as unfits the officer for the discharge of such duties for any offense involving moral turpitude while in office, or committed under color thereof, or connected therewith" | House of Representatives rules currently require a several-step process before a vote on impeachment can be held, including a requirement that 63 members of the House (equivalent to three-fifths of its membership) vote to permit articles of impeachment to be considered by the House | [9][10] | |
| Alaska | Senate (two-thirds vote needed) | House of Representatives (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "All civil officers of the State" | A justice of the Supreme Court (all trials) | None specified, but motion for impeachments are required to list fully the basis for the proceeding | Judgement is limited to removal from office (no ability to bar future eligibility to hold office) | [11] |
| American Samoa (territory) | House of Representatives (support of two-thirds of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | Governor; lieutenant Governor; chief justice and associate justices of the High Court of American Samoa; associate judges; district court judges | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of American Samoa | None specified, but Legislature is to provide the causes for impeachment | [12] | |
| Arizona | House of Representatives (majority of the entire membership needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "Every public officer in the state of Arizona, holding an elective office, either by election or appointment" | Chief justice of Arizona (all trials except for trials of the chief justice) (Should the chief justice be on trial or otherwise disqualified from presiding, the Senate chooses another judge of the Arizona Supreme Court to preside) | "High crimes, misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office" | [13] | |
| Arkansas | House of Representatives (majority vote needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed) | All state officers (including the governor), judges of the Supreme and Circuit Courts, chancellors, prosecuting attorneys | Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas (all trials except for trials of the chief justice) (Should the chief justice be on trial or otherwise disqualified from presiding, the Senate chooses another presiding officer) | "High crimes and misdemeanors and gross misconduct in office" | [14][15] | |
| California | State Assembly | State Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "State officers elected on a statewide basis, members of the State Board of Equalization, and judges of state courts" | "Misconduct in office" | Impeached officials are suspended from practicing the functions their office until the judgement of the trial; convictions can result in removal from office and disqualification or alternative in temporary suspension from office; trials are required to be prosecuted by impeachment managers elected by the State Assembly. The impeachment managers author the articles of impeachment on which the officer is to be tried by the Senate. | [16][17] | |
| Colorado | House of Representatives (support of a majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and other state and judicial officers" | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial trials) | "High crimes or misdemeanors or malfeasance in office" | General Assembly has the power to also suspend "any officer in his functions pending impeachment...for misconduct in office." | [18] |
| Connecticut | Connecticut | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "Governor, and all other executive and judicial officers" | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial trials) | none specified | [19] | |
| Delaware | Delaware (support of two-thirds of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and all other civil officers" |
| "Treason, bribery, or any high crime or misdemeanor in office" | [20] | |
| District of Columbia (federal district) | (no impeachment clause) | ||||||
| Florida | House of Representatives (two-thirds vote needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor, administrative officers of the Executive Department, justices of the Supreme Court of Florida, and judges of the Circuit Court |
| "Misdemeanor in office" | The Constitution of Florida requires that impeachment trials be concluded within six months of the impeachment vote. Additionally, the Constitution of Florida explicitly permits the speaker of the House to committees to conduct impeachment inquiries. | [21] |
| Georgia | House of Representatives | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Any executive or judicial officer" of Georgia or "any member of the General Assembly" | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia (if the chief justice is disqualified, then the presiding justice of the Supreme Court is to preside. If the presiding justice too is disqualified, then the Senate is to select another justice of the Supreme Court to preside) | None specified | [22] | |
| Guam (territory) | (no impeachment clause) | ||||||
| Hawaii | House of Representatives | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | Governor, lieutenant governor, and "any appointive officer for whose removal the consent of the senate is required" | Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii | "For causes that may be provided by law" | [23] | |
| Idaho | House of Representatives | Senate (two-thirds vote with a majority quorum needed to convict) | None specified | Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Idaho (gubernatorial trials) | After articles of impeachment against them are presented to the Senate, officers are temporarily suspended from their office and prohibited from acting in their official capacity until the judgement of the trial. Upon such suspension of any state officer, the office "must at once be temporarily filled by an appointment made by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate" until the impeached officer is acquitted or (in case of removal) until the vacancy is permanently filled as required by law." | [24][25] | |
| Illinois | House (majority vote needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Executive and Judicial officers" | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial trials) | none, but legislative investigations are required to determine a cause | [26] | |
| Indiana | House of Representatives | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "All state officers" (except justices of the Supreme Court of Indiana; judges of the Court of Appeals of Indiana; judges of the Indiana tax court; all other judges; prosecuting attorneys; and all county, city, town, and township officers) | Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Indiana (gubernatorial trials) | "Crime, incapacity, or negligence" | Trials required to be prosecuted by impeachment managers that are elected by the House of Representatives. Impeachment managers are also to author the articles of impeachment. | [27] |
| Iowa | House | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor, judges of the Supreme Court of Iowa and Iowa District Courts, and other state officers | "Misdemeanor or malfeasance in office" | [28] | ||
| Kansas | House | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | Governor and all other state constitutional officers | "Treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" | [29] | ||
| Kentucky | House | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor and all civil officers |
| "Misdemeanor in office" | [30][31] | |
| Louisiana | House of Representatives | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | State or district officials (elected or appointed) | "Felony, malfeasance, or gross misconduct while in such office" | [32] | ||
| Maine | House of Representatives | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "Every person holding civil office under this State, may be removed by impeachment" | "Misdemeanor in office" | Maine also allows removal by "address", where the governor has to power to remove any officer holder on the address of the Legislature | [33] | |
| Maryland | House of Delegates (majority of the entire membership needed) | Senate (two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | Governor, lieutenant governor, judges | "No grounds listed" | [34] | ||
| Massachusetts | House of Representatives | Senate | "Any officer or officers of the commonwealth" | "Misconduct or maladministration in office" | [35] | ||
| Michigan | House of Representatives (majority of the entire membership needed to impeach) | Senate (two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Corrupt conduct in office or crimes or misdemeanors" | Impeachment trial is to be prosecuted by three impeachment managers elected from and by the House of Representatives; impeached judicial officers are suspended from practicing the functions their office until the judgement of the trial | [36] | ||
| Minnesota | House of Representatives (majority of the entire membership needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor, secretary of state, auditor, attorney general, justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Courts | "Corrupt conduct in office or crimes or misdemeanors" | Impeached officials are suspended from exercising the duties of their office until the judgement of the trial | [37] | |
| Mississippi | House of Representatives (two-thirds vote needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor and all other civil officers | Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi (gubernatorial impeachments) (if chief justice is disqualified, disabled, or declines to preside, the next-longest tenured Supreme Court judge is to preside) | "Treason, bribery, or any high crime or misdemeanor in office" | [38] | |
| Missouri | Missouri House of Representatives |
| "All elective executive officials of the state" and justices of the Supreme Court of Missouri, Missouri Court of Appeals, and Missouri Circuit Courts | "Crimes, misconduct, habitual drunkenness, willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetency, or any offense of moral turpitude or oppression in office" | [39][40] | ||
| Montana | House of Representatives (two-thirds vote needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "The governor, executive officers, heads of state departments, judicial officers, and such other officers" | "Legislature must determine causes, manner, and procedure for impeachment" | [41][42] | ||
| Nebraska | Legislature (support of majority of the membership needed) |
| Civil officers | "Misdemeanor in office. Alleged acts or omissions must be stated in impeachment resolution" | Trials are to be prosecuted by two impeachment managers elected by and from the Legislature | [43][44] | |
| Nevada | Assembly (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | Governor and other state and judicial officers, except justices of the peace and state legislators | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial impeachments) | "Misdemeanor or malfeasance in office" | [45][46] | |
| New Hampshire | House of Representatives | Senate | Officers (including members of the Executive Council) | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial impeachments) | "Bribery, corruption, malpractice, or maladministration in office" | [47][48][49] | |
| New Jersey | General Assembly (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | All state officers (including the governor, justices of the Supreme Court, and judges of the Superior Court, etc.) during their tenure in office as well as the two years after they leave office | Chief justice of the Supreme Court | "Misdemeanor while in office" | [50] | ||
| New Mexico | House of Representatives (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (for gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial impeachments) | "Crimes, misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office" | [51] | ||
| New York | State Assembly (support of majority of the membership needed) | Court for the Trial of Impeachments made up of members of the Senate and the Court of Appeals. In gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial impeachments, the lieutenant governor and the temporary president/majority leader of the Senate are prohibited from participating (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | None specified | Impeached judicial officers are suspended from their office until the judgement of the trial | [52][53][54] | ||
| North Carolina | House of Representatives (majority vote needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict with a majority quorum) |
| "Commission of a felony, a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, malfeasance in office, or willful neglect of duty" | Impeached officials are suspended from their office until the judgement of the trial | [55] | |
| North Dakota | House of Representatives (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed for conviction) | "Governor and other state and judicial officers of the state, except municipal judges" | "Habitual drunkenness, crimes, corrupt conduct, or malfeasance or misdemeanor in office" | [57] | ||
| Northern Mariana Islands (territory) | House of Representatives (two-thirds vote needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, justices and judges | no specified directive |
| [58][59] | |
| Ohio | House of Representatives (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "Governor, judges, and all state officers" | "Misdemeanor in office" | [60] | ||
| Oklahoma | House of Representatives | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor and "other elective state officers" (including the justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals) |
| "Willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude while in office " | [61] | |
| Oregon | (no impeachment clause) | [62] | |||||
| Pennsylvania | House | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "Governor and all other civil officers" | "Misbehavior in office" | [63] | ||
| Puerto Rico (territory) | House of Representatives (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to impeach) | Senate (support of three-fourths of the membership needed to convict) | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial impeachments) | "Treason, bribery, other felonies, and misdemeanors involving moral turpitude" | Judgement is limited to removal from office (no ability to bar future eligibility to hold office) | [64] | |
| Rhode Island | House of Representatives (two-thirds vote needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and all other executive and judicial officers" | Chief or presiding justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial impeachments) |
| Impeachment resolutions will not be considered by the House unless they are signed by a quarter of House members; impeached officers are suspended from office until the judgement of the trial is pronounced; judgement is limited to removal from office (no ability to bar future eligibility to hold office) | [65] |
| South Carolina | House of Representatives (support of two-thirds of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Officials elected on a statewide basis, state judges, and such other state officers as may be designated by law" | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial impeachments) if the chief justice is disqualified, then the senior justice is to preside | "Serious crimes or serious misconduct in office" | Impeached officials are suspended from their office until the judgement of the trial is pronounced; judgement is limited to removal from office (no ability to bar future eligibility to hold office) | [66] |
| South Dakota | House of Representatives (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and other state and judicial officers, except county judges, justices of the peace and police magistrates" | Lieutenant governor is prohibited from presiding over or participating in gubernatorial impeachment trials | "Drunkenness, crimes, corrupt conduct, or malfeasance or misdemeanor in office" | Impeached officials are suspended from their office until the judgement of the trial; South Carolina constitution's impeachment rules include a double jeopardy clause protecting any officer against being impeached twice for the same offense | [67] |
| Tennessee | House of Representatives | Senate (support of two-thirds of senators sworn-in to try the impeachment is needed to convict) | Governor, judges of Supreme Court, judges of the inferior courts, chancellors, attorneys for the state, treasurer, comptroller, and secretary of state |
| Committing of "any crime in their official capacity which may require disqualification" | Trial to be prosecuted by three impeachment managers elected by and from the House; the General Assembly has the authority to remove any disqualification from holding office that was placed on an individual through a past impeachment judgement; the Legislature has the authority to initiate similar removal proceedings against justices of the peace, and other civil officers not eligible for impeachment, with removal/disqualification trial to take place in any "court" which the Legislature directs (such trials effectively amount to impeachment, but unlike impeachment are also allowed to enforce "other punishment as may be prescribed by law" | [68] |
| Texas | House of Representatives | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, comptroller and judges | None specified | Impeached officials are suspended from their office until the judgement of the trial; Texas Constitution enables the Legislature to pass laws allowing for removal trials for officers that are not eligible for impeachment; with two-thirds approval from each chamber of the Legislature; the governor can remove judges for "wilful neglect of duty, incompetency, habitual drunkenness, oppression in office, or other reasonable cause which shall not be sufficient ground for impeachment" with the judges to be able to defend themselves in hearing before the Legislature votes | [69] | |
| United States Virgin Islands (territory) | (no impeachment clause) | [70][71] | |||||
| Utah | House of Representatives (support of two-thirds of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and other state and judicial officers" | Chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court (gubernatorial impeachments) in the case that they are disqualified or unable to act, Senate is to select another Supreme Court justice to preside | "High crimes, misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office" | Impeached judicial officers are suspended from their office until the judgement of the trial with temporary replacements to be appointed by governor and confirmed by the Senate | [72] |
| Vermont | House of Representatives (support of two-thirds needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "Every officer of State, whether judicial or executive"; "state criminals" | Maladministration | [73][74] | ||
| Virginia | House of Delegates | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, judges, members of the State Corporation Commission, and all officers appointed by the governor or elected by the General Assembly | "Offending against the Commonwealth by malfeasance in office, corruption, neglect of duty, or other high crime or misdemeanor" | [75] | ||
| Washington | House of Representatives (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and other state and judicial officers, except judges and justices of courts not of record | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial impeachments) | "High crimes or misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office" | [76] | |
| West Virginia | House of Delegates | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | Any "officer of the state" | President of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals | "Maladministration, corruption, incompetency, gross immorality, neglect of duty, or any high crime or misdemeanor" | [62] | |
| Wisconsin | State Assembly (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (two-thirds vote needed to convict) | "All civil officers" | For gubernatorial impeachments, lieutenant governor is prohibited from participating/presiding | "Corrupt conduct in office, crimes and misdemeanors" | Judicial officers are suspended from their office until judgement of the trial | [77] |
| Wyoming | House of Representatives (support of majority of the membership needed) | Senate (support of two-thirds of the membership needed to convict) | "Governor and other state and judicial officers except justices of the peace" | Chief justice of the Supreme Court (gubernatorial impeachments) | "High crimes and misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office" | [78] | |
| State/territory/fed. district | Body which impeaches | Body which holds trial/convicts | Offices subject to impeachment by state/territorial government | Presiding officer specifications for trials | Specified reasons for which officials can be impeached[1] | Notes | |
Officials impeached by state and territorial governments
There have been in excess of 100 impeachments of officials by state governments.
Double-counting those who were twice-impeached, subjects of state and territorial impeachments have included:
- 22 governors (20 of state governors, 2 of territorial governors)
- 1 lieutenant governor
- 5 attorneys general
- 7 state treasurers
- 4 state auditors
- 51 judges and justices
- 3 insurance commissioners
- 4 county sheriffs
- 2 justices of the peace
- 2 surveyors
| Date | State | Accused | Office | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 8, 1780[79] | Pennsylvania |  | Francis Hopkinson | Judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Admiralty | Not removed (acquitted on December 26, 1780)[79] |
| June 17, 1790[80] | New Hampshire | .jpg) | Woodbury Langdon | Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court | Resigned[80] |
| 1791[81][82] | Georgia | Henry Osborne | Superior Court judge | Removed[83] | |
| April 5, 1793[84] | Pennsylvania | John Nicholson | Comptroller general of Pennsylvania | Not removed (acquitted in April 22, 1794)[84][79] | |
| December 17, 1798[85] | Tennessee | David Campbell | Judge of the Superior Court | Not removed (acquitted)[85] | |
| October 1799[73] | Vermont | William Coley | High Sheriff of Bennington County | Not removed; the General Assembly acted beyond its authority and ruled that the impeachment invalid; and no trial was subsequently held before the Governor and Council.[73] | |
| 1800[86] | Vermont | John Chipman | Sheriff of Addison County | Not removed; while impeachment orders were brought by the Council of Censors, the General Assembly resolved not to prosecute the impeachment[86] | |
| Prince Hall | Sheriff of Franklin County | ||||
| 1802[87] | Pennsylvania | Alexander Addison | District judge | Removed in January 1803[88] | |
| 1803[30] | Kentucky | Thomas Jones | Surveyor of Bourbon County | Resigned during trial; trial was continued and Jones was convicted and disqualified from holding office[30] | |
| September 28, 1803[85] | Tennessee | David Campbell | Judge of the Superior Court | Not removed (acquitted on October 6, 1803)[85] | |
| March 23, 1804[89] | Pennsylvania | Thomas Smith | Associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Not removed (acquitted on January 28, 1805)[90][91] | |
| Edward Shippen IV | Chief justice of Pennsylvania | ||||
| Jasper Yeates | Associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | ||||
| February 22, 1805[92] | Ohio |  | William W. Irvin | Associate justice of the Fairfield County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas | Removed on January 11, 1806[92] |
| September 3, 1806[85] | Tennessee | John Philips | Justice of the peace in Robertson County, Tennessee | Not removed (acquitted on October 24, 1807)[85] | |
| September 3, 1806[85] | Tennessee | Isaac Philips | Justice of the peace in Robertson County, Tennessee | Removed on October 24, 1807 and disqualified from holding state office for a period of two years[85] | |
| 1807[93] | Pennsylvania |  | Thomas McKean | Governor of Pennsylvania | Not removed; no trial held and the impeachment was abandoned[94] |
| December 24, 1808[95] | Ohio |  | Calvin Pease | Judge of the Third Circuit Court of Ohio | Not removed (acquitted in February 1809)[95] |
| December 24, 1808[95] | Ohio | .jpg) | George Tod | Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court | Not removed (acquitted on January 20, 1809)[95] |
| November 7, 1811[85] | Tennessee |  | William Cocke | Judge of the First Circuit Court of Tennessee | Removed on October 10, 1812[85] |
| March 1817[96] | Pennsylvania | Thomas Clark | Associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County | Not removed (acquitted on March 18, 1817)[96] | |
 | Walter Franklin | President judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County | Not removed (acquitted on March 18, 1817)[96] | ||
| Jacob Hibshman | Associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County | Not removed (acquitted on March 18, 1817)[96] | |||
| November 3, 1821[85] | Tennessee | Samuel H. Williams | Surveyor general of the Seventh District | Removed on August 10, 1822[85] | |
| March 17, 1825[97] | Pennsylvania | | Walter Franklin | President judge of the Courts of Common Pleas of Lancaster County and York County | Not removed (acquitted on April 7, 1825)[97][98] |
| April 11, 1825[89] | Pennsylvania | Seth Chapman | Judge of the Eighth Judicial District of Pennsylvania | Not removed (acquitted on February 18, 1826)[89] | |
| April 11, 1825[89] | Pennsylvania | Robert Porter | Judge of the Third Judicial District of Pennsylvania | Not removed (acquitted on December 31, 1825)[89] | |
| October 27, 1829[85] | Tennessee | Nathaniel W. Williams | Circuit Court judge | Removed on December 22, 1829[85] | |
| December 24, 1829[85] | Tennessee | Joshua Haskell | Judge of the Eighth Circuit Court of Tennessee | Not removed (acquitted on November 30, 1831)[85] | |
| 1832 | Illinois |  | Theophilus W. Smith | Associate justice of the Illinois Supreme Court | Not removed (acquitted)[99] |
| 1853[100] | Wisconsin |  | Levi Hubbell | Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit | Not removed (acquitted)[100] |
| 1853[101] | New York | John C. Mather | New York Canal Commissioner | Not removed (acquitted)[102] | |
| February 9, 1857[103] | California | Henry Bates | Treasurer of California | Found guilty in impeachment trial on March 11, 1857, resigned before this sentence was formally entered. Was convicted and disqualified from holding state office.[103] | |
| February 26, 1862 | Kansas |  | Charles L. Robinson | Governor of Kansas | Not removed (acquitted)[104] |
| John Winter Robinson | Secretary of State of Kansas | Removed on June 12, 1862[105] | |||
| George S. Hillyer | Kansas state auditor | Removed on June 16, 1862[105] | |||
| March 26, 1862[106] | California | James H. Hardy | District judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District of California | Removed (convicted)[107] | |
| 1865 | New York | George W. Smith | Oneida County judge | Not removed (acquitted)[100] | |
| February 11, 1867[85] | Tennessee | Thomas N. Frazier | Judge | Removed and disqualified from holding state office[85] | |
| 1868 | New York | Robert C. Dorn | New York Canal Commissioner | Not removed (acquitted in trial verdict on June 13, 1868)[108] | |
| 1868[109] | Florida |  | Harrison Reed | Governor of Florida | Originally removed; removal overturned by Florida Supreme Court[110] |
| 1870[111] | Florida | James T. Magbee | Judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Florida | Not removed; impeachment proceedings abandoned without a verdict.[104] | |
| December 14, 1870[112] | North Carolina |  | William Woods Holden | Governor of North Carolina | Removed on March 22, 1871[113] |
| 1871 | Nebraska |  | David Butler | Governor of Nebraska | Removed[104] |
| 1871 | Arkansas | .jpg) | Powell Clayton | Governor of Arkansas | Not removed; trial never held[114] |
| 1871 | New York | Horace G. Prindle | Chenango County judge and surrogate | Not removed (acquitted)[100] | |
| February 1872 | Florida | | Harrison Reed | Governor of Florida | Not removed[115] |
| March 1872 | New York | _(14592180978).jpg) | George G. Barnard | Judge of the New York Supreme Court (1st District) | Removed |
| March 22, 1872[116] | Michigan | Charles A. Edmonds | Commissioner of the Michigan Land Office | Not removed (acquitted in May 1872)[117][118] | |
| 1872 | Louisiana |  | Henry C. Warmoth | Governor of Louisiana | "Suspended from office", though trial was not held[119] |
| 1872 | New York | .jpg) | John H. McCunn | Justice of the Superior Court of New York City | Removed[100] |
| March 1873[120] | Minnesota | William Seeger[120] | Minnesota state treasurer | Resigned; was tried and convicted thereafter[121] | |
| March 2, 1874[62] | Kansas | Josiah Hayes | Kansas State Treasurer | Resigned on May 12, 1874; impeachment abandoned[62] | |
| 1874 | New York | .png) | George M. Curtis | Justice of the Marine Court of the City of New York | Not removed (acquitted)[100] |
| 1875[122] | West Virginia | John Burdette | Treasurer of West Virginia | Removed[122] | |
| January 1876[123] | Mississippi | _(3x4a).jpg) | Adelbert Ames | Governor of Mississippi | Resigned; impeachment proceedings thereafter dropped[104][123] |
| January 1876[123] | Mississippi |  | Alexander Kelso Davis | Lieutenant governor of Louisiana | Removed (convicted)[123] in March 1876[124] |
| February 17, 1876[125][126] | Mississippi |  | Thomas Cardozo | Mississippi Superintendent of Education | Resigned on March 22, 1876; impeachment proceedings thereafter dismissed[125] |
| February 1876 | Louisiana | .jpg) | William Pitt Kellogg | Governor of Louisiana | Not removed[127] |
| 1878[128] | Minnesota | Sherman Page | Judge of the Tenth Judicial District of Minnesota | Acquitted (acquitted)[128] | |
| 1881[129] | Minnesota | Eugene Saint Julien Cox | Judge of the Ninth Judicial District of Minnesota | Removed in March 1882[129] | |
| April 9, 1886[130] | Iowa | John L. Brown | Iowa auditor of state | Not removed (acquitted on July 13, 1886)[131] | |
| 1888[30] | Kentucky |  | James W. Tate | Kentucky State Treasurer | Removed[30] |
| February 27, 1891[62] | Kansas | Theodosius Betkin | Judge of the Thirty-Second Judicial District of Kansas | Not removed, acquitted[62] | |
| 1901 | North Carolina |  | David M. Furches | Chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court | Not removed (acquitted)[132] |
.png) | Robert M. Douglas | Associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court | Not removed (acquitted)[132] | ||
| January 24, 1903[133] | Montana | Edward W. Harney | Judge of the Second Judicial District of Silver Bow County | ||
| June 25, 1909[134] | Washington |  | J. H. Schively | Washington state insurance commissioner | Not removed (acquitted August 26, 1909)[134] |
| June 25, 1909[134] | Kentucky | J. E. Williams | McCreary County judge | Not removed (acquitted)[30] | |
| 1911[100] | North Dakota | John F. Cowan | Judge of the Second Judicial District of North Dakota | Not removed (acquitted)[100] | |
| August 13, 1913[135] | New York |  | William Sulzer | Governor of New York | Removed on October 17, 1913[136] |
| July 1917 | Texas |  | James E. Ferguson | Governor of Texas | Resigned. Convicted and disqualified from holding office after resigning[137][138] |
| 1918[139] | Montana | Charles L. Crum | Judge of Montana's Fifteenth Judicial District of Montana | Removed; found guilty on March 22, 1918[140] | |
| October 23, 1923 | Oklahoma |  | John C. Walton | Governor of Oklahoma | Removed |
| 1927[122] | West Virginia | John C. Bond | West Virginia state auditor | Resigned on March 15, 1927, no trial held[141] | |
| 1927 | Montana | T. C. Stewart | Montana Secretary of State | Removed[140] | |
| 1928 | Massachusetts | Arthur Kenneth Reading | Attorney general of Massachusetts | Resigned[142] | |
| January 21, 1929 | Oklahoma | Henry S. Johnston | Governor of Oklahoma | Removed | |
| 1929[100] | California | Carlos S. Hardy | Judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County | Not removed (acquitted April 26, 1929)[143] | |
| April 6, 1929[144] | Louisiana |  | Huey Long | Governor of Louisiana | Not removed |
| March 17, 1931[62] | Missouri | Larry Brunk | State treasurer of Missouri | Not removed, acquitted[62] | |
| 1935[117] | North Dakota | Thomas H. Moodie | Governor of North Dakota | Impeachment proceedings halted after North Dakota Supreme Court took a case challenging Moodie's qualification to hold office. Court ultimately removed Moodie as unqualified for office[117] | |
| 1933[62] | Kansas | Roland Boynton | Kansas attorney general | Not removed, acquitted[62] | |
| Will J. French | Kansas state auditor | Not removed, acquitted[62] | |||
| June 13, 1941 | Massachusetts |  | Daniel H. Coakley | Massachusetts Governor's Councilor | Removed on October 2, 1941 |
| 1943[100] | Michigan | Michael E. Nolan | Gogebic County probate judge | Removed[100] | |
| 1957[117] | Florida | George Holt | Circuit judge | Not removed (acquitted)[117][145] | |
| May 1958[146] | Tennessee | Raulston Schoolfield | Hamilton County criminal court judge | Removed on July 11, 1958[147] | |
| 1963[148] | Florida |  | Richard Kelly | Circuit judge | Not removed (acquitted)[148] |
| 1975[149] | Texas | O.P. Carillo | District judge of Duval County | Removed[150] | |
| 1975[148] | Florida | Thomas D. O'Malley | Florida insurance commissioner | Resigned,[151] articles of impeachment thereafter dismissed[148] | |
| 1976[152] | Vermont | Mike Mayo | Sheriff of Washington County, Vermont | Not removed, acquitted in impeachment trial[152] | |
| March 14, 1984[153] | Nebraska | .png) | Paul L. Douglas | Nebraska attorney general | Not removed (acquitted by the Nebraska Supreme Court on May 4, 1984)[154] |
| February 6, 1988[155] | Arizona | .jpg) | Evan Mecham | Governor of Arizona | Removed on April 4, 1988[156] |
| March 30, 1989[157] | West Virginia | A. James Manchin | State treasurer of West Virginia | Resigned on July 9, 1989, before trial started[158] | |
| January 25, 1991[159] | Kentucky | Ward "Butch" Burnette | Kentucky commissioner of agriculture | Resigned on February 6, 1991, before trial started. Afterwards, the Senate and then House adopted resolutions to terminate the impeachment proceedings.[30][160] | |
| May 24, 1994[161] | Pennsylvania | Rolf Larsen | Associate justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court | Removed on October 4, 1994, and declared ineligible to hold public office in Pennsylvania[162] | |
| October 6, 1994[163] | Missouri | Judith Moriarty | Secretary of State of Missouri | Removed by the Missouri Supreme Court on December 12, 1994[164] | |
| July 12, 2000[165] | New Hampshire | David Brock | Chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court | Not removed (acquitted on October 11, 2000)[166] | |
| September 9, 2004[167] | Oklahoma | Carroll Fisher | Oklahoma insurance commissioner | Resigned on September 24, 2004[168] | |
| November 11, 2004[169] | Nevada | Kathy Augustine | Nevada State Controller | Not removed; censured on December 4, 2004[170] | |
| April 11, 2006[171] | Nebraska | David Hergert | Member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents | Removed by the Nebraska Supreme Court on July 7, 2006[172] | |
| January 8, 2009 (first vote)[173] | Illinois | _(cropped).jpg) | Rod Blagojevich | Governor of Illinois | Not removed, 95th General Assembly ended before a removal vote could be held |
| January 14, 2009 (second vote)[174] | Removed on January 29, 2009, and declared ineligible to hold public office in Illinois[175] | ||||
| February 11, 2013[176] | Northern Mariana Islands |  | Benigno Fitial | Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | Resigned on February 20, 2013[177] |
| August 13, 2018[178] | West Virginia | Robin Davis | Associate Justices, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | Retired on August 13, 2018.[179] | |
| Allen Loughry | Resigned on November 12, 2018.[180][181] | ||||
| Beth Walker | Not removed; reprimanded and censured on October 2, 2018[182] | ||||
| Margaret Workman | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | Retired on December 31, 2020.[183] | |||
| January 12, 2022[184] | Northern Mariana Islands | .jpg) | Ralph Torres | Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | Acquitted May 18, 2022[185] |
| April 12, 2022[186] | South Dakota |  | Jason Ravnsborg | South Dakota Attorney General | Removed on June 21, 2022 and declared ineligible to hold office in South Dakota[187] |
| November 16, 2022[188] | Pennsylvania | .jpg) | Larry Krasner | District attorney of Philadelphia | TBD; State Senate voted on January 11, 2023 to indefinitely postpone the trial.[189] Future unclear after the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania opined on January 12, 2023 that the articles of impeachment had failed to meet the necessary legal standard of "misbehavior in office"[190][191] |
| May 27, 2023[192] | Texas |  | Ken Paxton | Texas Attorney General | Acquitted September 16, 2023; was suspended while awaiting verdict |
Gubernatorial impeachment
Impeachment and removal of governors has happened occasionally throughout the history of the United States, usually for corruption charges. At least eleven U.S. state governors have faced an impeachment trial; a twelfth, Governor Lee Cruce of Oklahoma, escaped impeachment by one vote in 1912. Several others, including Missouri's Eric Greitens in 2018, have resigned rather than face impeachment, when events seemed to make it inevitable.[193] The most recent impeachment of a state governor occurred on January 14, 2009, when the Illinois House of Representatives voted 117–1 to impeach Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges;[194] he was subsequently removed from office and barred from holding future office by the Illinois Senate on January 29.
There have been eighteen impeachments of state governors (with two state governors having been impeached twice):
- Charles L. Robinson (Republican governor of Kansas) in 1862
- Harrison Reed (Republican governor of Florida)
- In 1868 —originally removed; removal overturned by Florida Supreme Court
- In 1872
- William Woods Holden (Republican governor of North Carolina) in 1870 —removed in 1871
- Powell Clayton (Republicangovernor of Arkansas) in 1871
- David Butler (Republican governor of Nebraska) in 1871 —removed
- Henry Warmoth (Republican governor of Louisiana) in 1872
- William Pitt Kellogg (Republican governor of Louisiana) in 1876
- Adelbert Ames (Republican governor of Mississippi) in 1876
- William Sulzer (Democratic governor of New York) in 1913 (impeached for false report, perjury, and suborning perjury)[195][196] —removed
- James E. Ferguson (Democratic governor of Texas) in 1917 –convicted after first having resigned
- Jack C. Walton (Democratic governor ofOklahoma) in 1923 (impeached for a variety of crimes including illegal collection of campaign funds, padding the public payroll, suspension of habeas corpus, excessive use of the pardon power, and general incompetence. In November 1923, Walton was convicted and removed from office)[197] —removed
- Henry S. Johnston (Democratic governor of Oklahoma) in 1929
- Huey Long (Democratic governor of Louisiana) in 1929
- Thomas H. Moodie (Democratic[198] governor of North Dakota) in 1935[117]
- Evan Mecham (Republican governor of Arizona) in 1988 (impeached for obstruction of justice and misusing government funds)[199] —removed
- Rod Blagojevich (Democratic governor of Illinois) impeached twice in 2009 (impeached for abuse of power and corruption, including an attempt to sell the appointment to the United States Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Barack Obama)[200] —removed following second impeachment
In addition to the aforementioned state governors, two governors of the Northern Mariana Islands territory have been impeached: Republican Benigno Fitial in 2013[176][201] (who resigned)[177] and Republican Ralph Torres in 2022[202] (who was acquitted).[185]
The National Conference of State Legislatures has observed that gubernatorial impeachment occurs relatively infrequently[6] and has cited two factors in believed to be partially responsible for this:
See also
References
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