Who is the judge for a presidential impeachment trial?

Who is the judge for a presidential impeachment trial?

• A. Supreme Court Chief Justice
• B. Vice President
• C. Speaker of the House
• D. Chief Justice of California Supreme Court

Answer: (A)

Presidential impeachment trials are conducted in the Senate, but the presiding judge is the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The Constitution says that when the President is on trial, the Chief Justice shall preside. This arrangement helps keep the process impartial, since the Vice President serves as President of the Senate and would otherwise be involved in the trial in that capacity. The Speaker of the House leads the impeachment process in the House, not the Senate trial, and the Chief Justice of California Supreme Court is a state official with no role in federal impeachment. So the presiding figure for a presidential impeachment is the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Presidential impeachment trials are conducted in the Senate, but the presiding judge is the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The Constitution says that when the President is on trial, the Chief Justice shall preside. This arrangement helps keep the process impartial, since the Vice President serves as President of the Senate and would otherwise be involved in the trial in that capacity. The Speaker of the House leads the impeachment process in the House, not the Senate trial, and the Chief Justice of California Supreme Court is a state official with no role in federal impeachment. So the presiding figure for a presidential impeachment is the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.