Partial Justice: Congressional Argumentation and Presidential Impeachment
Matheson, Sean Christopher
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/82554
Description
Title
Partial Justice: Congressional Argumentation and Presidential Impeachment
Author(s)
Matheson, Sean Christopher
Issue Date
2002
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Paul J. Quirk
Department of Study
Political Science
Discipline
Political Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
American Studies
Language
eng
Abstract
This study examines how participants in the impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton argued whether each president warranted removal from office. Specifically, it establishes a four-part typology of impeachment arguments, and examines which of these arguments were advanced by each side in each case. It then looks at whether each side and individual members of each side based their arguments on whether the president warranted impeachment and removal on constitutional or political interpretations and arguments. Ultimately, it finds that participants crafted their arguments in order to best achieve immediate victory in each case. However, the participants in the Johnson and Nixon impeachment proceedings still based most of their arguments on constitutional considerations and relied on commonly accepted norms of constitutional interpretation to support those arguments. In contrast, participants in the Clinton impeachment proceedings relied markedly more on political arguments and interpretations.
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