"High crimes and misdemeanors is a phrase from the United States Constitution, Article II, Section 4: "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
"High" in the legal parlance of the 18th century means "against the State". A high crime is one which seeks the overthrow of the country, which gives aid or comfort to its enemies, or which injures the country to the profit of an individual or group. In democracies and similar societies it also includes crimes which attempt to alter the outcome of elections.
The first impeachment conviction by the U.S. Senate was in 1804 of District Judge John Pickering for the high crime and misdemeanor of chronic intoxication. Federal judges have been impeached and removed from office for tax evasion, conspiracy to solicit a bribe, and making false statements to a grand jury."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_crimes_and_misdemeanours
High crime does not mean severe crime. Rather it means a crime committed by a person in high office.
Flame » in reply to I thought the phrase was "-high- crimes and misdemeanors"?
re: I thought the phrase was "-high- crimes and misdemeanors"?
The whole thread (46 posts)
- Is it time to impeach Bush?
- When it will be time
- Yes. Please impeach him.
- Probably not- but its certainly time to Impeach FrankC (n/t)
- Moved to flame
- Impeaching in the US is very strange
- Never gonna happen.
- Way past time...
- He's ordered U.S. Attorneys to not prosecute
- Past the time
- Nah. It will just turn him into a martyr. (n/t)