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What's next in the impeachment process

Friday, January 9, 2009 11:37 PM CST

The Southern News Services

Who presides over an impeachment trial in the Senate?

Thomas Fitzgerald, the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Fitzgerald, a native Chicagoan, was elected to the court in 2000.

How many votes does it take to convict?

It takes a two-thirds majority, or 40 of 59 members of the Senate.

What is the process?

A special Senate committee on impeachment procedures will recommend rules for the trial. The committee chair is incoming Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago. Other panel members include Sens. James Clayborne Jr., D-Belleville; Bill Haine, D-Alton; Don Harmon, D-Oak Park; Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago; Dale Righter, R-Mattoon; Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa; Matt Murphy, R-Palatine; and Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale.

Who was the last person impeached in the state of Illinois?

Circuit Court Judge Theophilus W. Smith, Smith was charged with selling a clerk's office , suspending a lawyer for requesting a change of venue away from his court, and "for tyranically committing to jail in Montgomery County a Quaker who entertained conscientious scruples against removing his hat in open court." Smith's trial lasted from Jan. 9 to Feb. 7, 1833. The Illinois Senate acquitted him of the charges. Smith served as a judge until 1842.

Who was the last governor impeached in the United States?

Evan Mecham, governor of Arizona, was impeached in 1988. Mecham, who died last year, was charged with violating campaign finance laws as well as obstruction of justice. The Arizona House impeached him in February 1988 and he was removed from office that April.

Other states which have impeached and removed governors include Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, New York and Oklahoma.

- Source: Illinois Historical Society, 1970 Illinois Constitution, Connecticut General Assembly