SENATE COURTS OF THE US CENTRAL

Art. 1 The Central Courts of the United States. 8. The central courts of the United States are, the senate, for the trial of impeachments, and the supreme court. The territorial jurisdiction of these courts extends over the whole country. 1. Of the Senate of the United States. 9.-1. The constitution of the United States, art. 1, Sec. 3, provides that the senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, the senate shall be on oath or affirmation. When the president of the United States is tried, the chief justice shall preside and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. 10. lt will be proper here to consider, 1. The organization of this extraordinary court; and, 2. Its jurisdiction. 11.-1. Its organization differs according as it has or, has not the president of the United States to try. For the trial of all impeachment of the president, the presence of the chief justice is required. There must also be a sufficient number of senators present to form a quorum. For the trial of all other impeachments, it is sufficient if a quorum be present. 12.-2. The jurisdiction of the senate, as a court for the trial of impeachments, extends to the following officers, namely; the president, vice-president, and all civil officers of the United States, art. 2, Sec. 4, when they shall have been guilty of treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. Id. The constitution defines treason, art. 3.-3, but recourse must be had to the common law for a definition of bribery. Not having particularly mentioned what is to be understood by other high crimes and misdemeanors, resort, it is presumed, must be had to parliamentary practice. and the common law, in order to ascertain what they are.