Impeachment: What Everyone Needs to Know®

by Michael J. Gerhardt

What Everyone Needs to Know® is the step back and deep reflection on the law of impeachment that everyone needs now. Written in an accessible and lively question-and-answer format, it offers a timely explanation of the impeachment process from its very meaning to its role in politics today.

The book defines the scope of impeachable offenses, and how the Constitution provides alternative procedures and sanctions for addressing misconduct in office. It explains why the only two presidential impeachments, those of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, failed to lead to conviction, and how the impeachments of federal judges illuminate the law and politics of the process.

As a legal expert and the only joint witness in the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, author Michael J. Gerhardt also explores a question frequently asked-will Donald Trump be impeached? This book does not take a side in the debate over the possible impeachment of the president; instead, it is a primer for anyone eager to learn about impeachment's origins, practices, limitations, and alternatives.

272 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2018

Reviews

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are reading to get answers to whether Trump should be impeached and why, this is not the book for you. and, there's enough commentary from other sources to give you fuel for that fire (or if you are inclined the other way, water to douse that fire). but if you are looking was a thoughtful piece on the law and politics (and there are Politics, capital P, involved) of impeachment, then you need to read this book. It covers the history of impeachment and its use in this country, how it is the same/different in other countries, including in the country that was the origin of our own. And, it asks the questions about how the unique process of US impeachment might be applied in the future environment that we could find ourselves in with respective to presidential impeachment not just with the current occupant of the White House but with any future occupant. It does not make the case for or against Trump's impeachment and rightly so if you are carefully reading the book. It is informative, unbiased view of the impeachment process, however imperfect it might be (and in case you're wondering, the author would agree that it's an imperfect process that is and should be use as a last resort in our system of checks and balances.).

[John Suddath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most people may find this book a bit too legalistic and so may be tempted to jump to the final chapter. There is author speculates about the potential impeachment of President Trump. Hint: it all depends (there are lots of factors). He covers all aspects of the law, not only the Constitution but also the legal precedents and history of how it has been used. He even details every case in which it has been used, including federal judges. He even offers an opinion on how some of the former Presidents might have been liable because of their secret behaviors. I agree with his judgment that President Clinton should have been convicted, but that he "got away with it" because of public opinion and his high popularity rating. He also discusses the 25th Amendment and the 4 options that it offers. It is clear that is only a temporary and not a permanent option for removal from office. I'm not a legal scholar so I can't comment on his accounts, but I think I am better informed now as to where we stand in the current situation. It is a very complicated topic, and he handled it well.

[Jean Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful book that in clear terms outlines the definitions, history and issues of impeachment.

It helps to put all the current political talk into perspective.