Grand Inquests: The Historic Impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson - Softcover

Rehnquist, William H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688128394 ISBN 13: 9780688128395

Publisher: Quill (Harper), 1993

Synopsis

Chief Justice Rehnquist presents the dramatic account of two of the most important legal decisions ever rendered in the US. The outcomes of these cases have remained of extraordinary importance to government because they continued and strengthened the constitutionally-directed separation of powers. Photos.

About this title

Review:

With Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist playing a front-and-center role as the presiding officer in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, it's no wonder that his 1992 study of the two most important previous impeachments in United States history was brought back into print. But anyone looking for political commentary will probably be disappointed--Grand Inquests is a straightforward, and surprisingly readable, narrative account, top-heavy with historical details.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase was impeached in 1805 both for his political views and as a result of his demeanor as a judge. Rehnquist acknowledges that Chase was "impatient, overbearing, and arrogant," but asserts that his behavior falls far short of the grounds for impeachment: high crimes and misdemeanors. He further argues that the acquittal of Chase helped safeguard the independence of the Supreme Court, preventing future Congresses from removing judges "whose views they considered to be unwise or out of keeping with the times." The acquittal of President Andrew Johnson in his 1868 trial was a similar victory for the executive branch, permitting future chief executives to govern as they see fit ... even if that runs counter to the desires of Congress.

Rehnquist makes it clear that he believes the impeachments of both Chase and Johnson were politically motivated, and that it was a good thing for the United States that neither was convicted. He says a relaxed standard of impeachment would have been like "a sword of Damocles, designed not to fall but to hang" over the head of future presidents who would fear removal from office if they did not go along with Congress. --Linda Killian

About the Author:

William H. Rehnquist is the sixteenth Chief Justice of the United States and the author of The Supreme Court and All the Laws but One.

About this edition

• Publisher: Quill (Harper)
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0688128394
• ISBN 13: 9780688128395
• Binding: Paperback