Clinton Impeachment Trial

Great trials are easily described as some of the pivotal court cases that formed our view of the legal system. This is partially due to the fact that the majority of these trials normally concern those in positions of authority, such as a president. However, the issue persists as to how far the Court can go to be impartial and not be affected by the role of control that the parties concerned seem to be in at the time of the verdict. The Clinton impeachment hearing, which happened in the wake of the notorious Monica Lewinsky case, remains one of the great trials of our day. The latter was an intern at the White House and it was reported that she had an affair with the then president Bill Clinton. The situation would lead to an impeachment attempt which the President won only by a small margin. Given the circumstances of the situation, it can be argued that justice was served simply for the reason that the affair did not affect Clinton’s ability to deliver as a president although it did reflect negatives on his morals as a married man. Below are some of the sources that would help to defend this argument. Kolata, Gina. THE TRIAL OF THE PRESIDENT: BEYOND THE BELTWAY; Editor of A.M.A. Journal Is Dismissed Over Sex Paper. New York Times, 16 Jan 1999. Web. 8 Apr 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/16/us/trial-president-beyond-beltway-editor-ama-journal-dismissed-over-sex-paper.html In this article, the author looks beyond the case to define the various ways that the impeachment, as well as the scandal, might have affected different people. The article describes in details why one of the top editors at the time was dismissed from the A.M.A after publishing a paper that would directly impact on the impeachment trial. It is the argument of the author that given the material as published, it would potentially interject the journal in a negative way as the article had no scientific or medical background. Simply put, the political debate around the impeachment could easily lead to controversies that the journal wanted to avoid entirely. For its evaluation, the author, Kolata, writes for the New York Times, one of the world’s leading source for news that is well researched and unbiased in the information it gives. This particular paper will be useful for the paper because it allows for an understanding of how the Clinton scandal influenced those out of the political spectrum as well as give an understanding of how the media would have played a role in the impeachment trial. Cohen, Andrew. “The Clinton Impeachment Ten Years Later.” CBS News, 11 Feb 2009. Web. 8 Apr 2017 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-clinton-impeachment-ten-years-later/ This article takes a recap of the impeachment as well as the scandal behind it to draw attention to the possibilities of what might have been different should the entire thing not occurred. Cohen looks at where the major players of the situation are now with their lives more so they were impacted by the impeachment. It also addresses the events that lead to the trial. Evaluating the source reveals that it is credible because the author is an attorney, therefore, he is familiar with the legality of the situation. Furthermore, he is writing for CBS news. The benefit of this source towards the paper is that it will allow for an understanding of how the impeachment affected different key people and as a result, a deduction can be reached to understand the impact of great trials in people’s lives. Isenbergh, Joseph. "Impeachment and Presidential Immunity from Judicial Process," Yale Law & Policy Review: Vol. 18: Iss. 1, (1999). Available at: htt://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylpr/vol18/iss1/3 This particular article is more concerned about the proceedings of the impeachment processes by presenting the arguments as brought forth by both sides of the case. The author looks into this by taking into account the statutory immunization granted to the U.S. President by the Constitution as such, arguing why the outcome was necessary. The source is credible in that it is published by Yale University’s Policy Review journal thus a clear and accurate understanding of the trial. In regards to the paper, this source will be useful because of the detailed information over the impeachment that it has to offer. Furthermore, it gives the opportunity to view the trial with respect to the Constitution and thus what it takes to impeach a sitting president from office given the circumstances that Bill Clinton had to answer to. Weeden, L. Darnell. "The Clinton Impeachment Indicates a Presidential Impeachable Offense is Only Limited by Constitutional Process and Congress' Political Compass Directive," William Mitchell Law Review: Vol. 27: Iss. 4, (2001) Article 7. Available at: htt://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol27/iss4/7 For this article, Weeden takes into consideration not only how the constitution gives statutory protect to the U.S. president but also addresses what justifies the impeachment of the president. Based on the arguments of the author, since the president holds the highest office in the country, impeachment is possible but the crime has to be more criminal in nature. He further analyzes the investigation congress political process as a means of allowing the target audience to understand the outcomes associated with impeachment and especially that of Clinton. The credibility of the source is that it is a well-known law review journal that has for years seek to publish credible and useful law-related materials. As for its use for the paper, it will help shade further light to the role that the Constitution and political processes play when it comes to impeaching a president. Posner, Richard. An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2009. Print Posner writes this books as the events unfold more so from the point that the Monica Lewinsky scandal comes to light. He analyzes the issues following the situation to the impeachment process. The key persons associated with the impeachment are also analyzed to explain the different roles that they played. Furthermore, Posner looks at the pros and cons of impeaching the U.S. president. The credibility of the source is that it is written by a U.S. court of Appeal circuit Judge, therefore, he has the legal knowledge needed for this paper and also, he is a senior lecture r of law at the University of Chicago. The usefulness of this source is that it provides useful information on the investigation process, the impeachment, Clinton’s trial and the outcome in a clear and comprehensive manner. Works Cited Cohen, Andrew. “The Clinton Impeachment Ten Years Later.” CBS News, 11 Feb 2009. Web. 8 Apr 2017 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-clinton-impeachment-ten-years-later/ Isenbergh, Joseph. "Impeachment and Presidential Immunity from Judicial Process," Yale Law & Policy Review: Vol. 18: Iss. 1, (1999). Available at: htt://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylpr/vol18/iss1/3 Kolata, Gina. THE TRIAL OF THE PRESIDENT: BEYOND THE BELTWAY; Editor of A.M.A. Journal Is Dismissed Over Sex Paper. New York Times, 16 Jan 1999. Web. 8 Apr 2017. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/16/us/trial-president-beyond-beltway-editor-ama-journal-dismissed-over-sex-paper.html Posner, Richard. An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2009. Print Weeden, L. Darnell. "The Clinton Impeachment Indicates a Presidential Impeachable Offense is Only Limited by Constitutional Process and Congress' Political Compass Directive," William Mitchell Law Review: Vol. 27: Iss. 4, (2001) Article 7. Available at: htt://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol27/iss4/7