Categories: Government

Legal Aspects of Impeachment, 1974

Background

According to the document:

This overview memorandum summarizes the work of the staff of the Office of Legal Counsel in regard to impeachment. The views expressed should not be regarded as official positions of the Department of Justice. The major topics in this memorandum are dealt with more fully in four appendices. Although the research has been extensive, this material does not purport to be an exhaustive survey.

Work on the subject began in October and was expanded considerably in December as time and the pressure of other work permitted. The study is an independent, objective, and essentially historical survey of the field, designed to serve as resource material in the academic sense. It does not analyze any particular factual allegations, reach ultimate conclusions, or propose solutionso The material may serve to illuminate discussion and indicate the complexity of
impeachment.

Continue scrolling for more...

Appendices I and II dealing with historical material on the concept of impeachable offenses, drawn from the debates in the Constitutional Convention, other materials contemporary to that period, and instances of impeachment action in the past, were completed and released on February 21, 1974. We now
release an overview statement, and Appendices III and IV setting forth respectively a collation of executive privilege statements where impeachment also was mentioned, and a collation of comment on the question of judicial review of an impeachment conviction.

In a broad sense the impeachment material being released consists of attorney working papers of a sort normally not disclosed. In this instance, however, because of the interest surrounding the subject, the extraordinary nature of our present circumstances, and the historically-informative nature of this study, a broad sharing of it is deemed by the Department of Justice to be in the public interest.

Document Archive

 Legal Aspects of Impeachment, 1974 [279 Pages, 15.2MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/doj/legalaspectsofimpeachment.pdf

Follow The Black Vault on Social Media:

This post was published on June 27, 2017 8:41 pm

John Greenewald

Recent Posts

FBI Files: Historical Figures & Groups

Background Welcome to the FBI Files on Historical Figures & Groups archive at The Black…

October 17, 2025

FBI Files: Civil Rights Era

Background Movements for civil rights were a worldwide series of political movements for equality before…

October 16, 2025

Russian Dossier on JFK Assassination Released to Public After Hand Delivery to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna

A 386-page dossier reportedly compiled by the Russian government detailing its findings on the assassination…

October 16, 2025

Thousands of Historical Artifacts Cataloged in Released NY Parks Databases

(Note: Photo graphic above is for illustrative purposes, and not a representation of actual holdings…

October 16, 2025

Unheard FBI Audio Reveals Art Bell Discussing Threats, Rumors, and Radio Rivalries

The FBI’s file on late-night radio host Art Bell has expanded with the release of…

October 6, 2025

“Looked Like Iron Man”: Tucson Pilot’s “Drone” Report and Audio Recording Revealed in FAA Records

On December 17, 2022, a Cessna 172 pilot approaching Tucson, Arizona, reported an unusual airborne…

October 2, 2025