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I was just asked a good Q on @KYWNewsradio.
Why is the Senate voting again on the question of jurisdiction in the impeachment trial, if it already decided the matter last month?
Why is the Senate voting again on the question of jurisdiction in the impeachment trial, if it already decided the matter last month?
The answer is, in part, that the Senate didn’t actually decide the question last month. It TABLED the motion from Sen. Paul before it received the article from the House.
Now that it’s sitting as a court of impeachment, the Senate will hear arguments on the matter and vote.
Now that it’s sitting as a court of impeachment, the Senate will hear arguments on the matter and vote.
This is in keeping with the precedent set in 1876, when the Senate voted 37-to-29 that it did have jurisdiction to hear the case of US v. Belknap.
The debate then was along the same lines— does the Senate have the power to try a former official who is now a private citizen?
The debate then was along the same lines— does the Senate have the power to try a former official who is now a private citizen?
The Senate is expected to hear four hours of argument, from the House managers and the Trump defense team, before deciding the question (and affirming the 1876 precedent) later today.
