OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS 

AUSTIN 

aonorakde 0. PEnctt Piorse 

SpcOkdr, %OU&e Of kpYEC?IJtat~VeS 

Austin, Tcxias 

3y pxrletter 0 

OS t&l6 depwtalcmt upon 

me parer of lrnp-ant 

tn the %ouse of liapreaentaLieutenant Governor, Attorney General, 

Treasurer, Gnm&3siotier of the ticnerax Land 

Oifiee, CoEPptrcller,aud the Jndges OP the 

%qwane Court, C-ourt of Appeals rend Dletrict 

court shall be tried by the senate. 

*set% 3. shea t&e Senate fo rtttl.ng ue 

aCourt of Bnpeacbiueat, the Senatere4 f&all 

be on oath, or affknx0ilon inqt*rtiaUy te 
450 

nonorable H. &mnettLiorse, June 10, l93ii. page 2 

try the party impeached, and no person shall 

be convicted aithout the coneurrenoe of tvothirds of the Senistors present. 

.Seo. 4. Judgment In casea of Aupeaohment ahp11 extend only to rcanoval from offioe, 

and dzi.equalification from holding any offloe 

oi' honor trust or profit under this State. A 

party oonvloted on impeachment shall also be 

subjeat to indlotanent trial and punishment acco-g to 1aT. 

*sea tb 41 omoers Pgaanst mm ortiales of hp8sebmnt may be preferred shall bs 

su~~enQedfromtheezeroiaeoS thedntiesof 

fbeir eSfie* ~tlurlng the pandenw of maoh lmpeaokent. lbe coverntw may make a pro+leaon3rppoinbnenttof3lltheraoa8xqocwsduaed 

try the 8utfpen8iea ai 8n of?l.oor until t&o aeoielen on the 2nlpoae~ont. 

iy laZ2 Ike trial an8 rmeioval frem offloo 

me Logiarfam 8?mll plwla8 

efaUofflw3rsof tU8StnY fbe~M6~for 

wid.id.me mt be8n pmwldad an tbls calstl- 

~etWm~tis8hsmi@r~tobereso~taLP 

oxtrems ca888. state 7* autdag8. 011 Ilema~ 68 I. v.~ wh 

the oaumae centemplato8 as gram88 ser irrpoaohmemt can .be 

nolthor trblal~nor 0aprMieug ask8 rust 8e re8trlotml b 

8amethlng of a mb8teatl.al n8taf-e directly Ptiectlng the 

righta and intoro8ts~ of the puhli4b -a they mud be oaans 

8ttoGhing to t&m ipsll.Slcat2on8 of the etclcer, or hi8 pewSonnanoeoPhisdutiee, abow%ngthathei8not efltorpraper person to hold the 0m0.8. 46 CoJop,JOeB ~oultoa v* 

ECUlly, 111 Yaiaa, 42% 29 Afl.944. Mere n eei lgexte or ox068s OS power rithout ccmupt intentioa 10 net suoh an offezme SOP uhich an officer OhDnld be mea&e+. State v. 

Basting% aqua. 

The Conetitution contAapIates that ln the matter 

of Impeachment, the House shall sat mmewhat in the capac5t.y 

of a grand $my- It lnvestie;otes, hears ritnesae% and defelmines whether or not there are aufS&eienf grounda to juetify the prem3ntrPent of ohare* an& df so, It adopt.9 apprepriatc artioles and prePers 'thar Ix&ore the Senate. The 
kionorable R. Lixnett&orseb June 101 1930,~ page 3 

Uousc, or Its duly autl~orised reprcs~&totlves, likewise 

coriticts'the iizpcac&uent prooeeding6 in the capacity of 

prosecutor, before the Senate. Forguson v. 

Ct. OS I'%.) 2C3 S.u'.888. 

uawox, (sup. 

In lmpeachmont proocedings, the Senate site as a 

court of &npeachmont, the senators being on oath or aSS%mat&on inpartially to try the party'weached, and the Constltution requiring that a eonviation osnnot be had without 

the conourrence of two-thirds of the senators presenti nt 

Is, of cwlrsc, essential as u matter of due proccscl, that 

the person against wImi~ impeaobmont prooeedlngs are preferred by the Houee shall be sufficfentl~ laWowed by the rrtioleeof3mpeachmentwritteneutin the.Eouseandrefermd 

te the Banate of the nature of the oharges preferred against 

Mm, azd thathelm givenaneppertunlt~ to appear tmddefendhlnselfln tho Gemto, sndthathebe eonfmntedrith 

the dtne8sos egainet him. Howovor, It is mot athat theartielos of impeaohnmt pmferredby thenewe 

shsllbewrittenrith the te&nlcal preoisienof (0 imdiol 

mont.2 

It is llkeei8e to be observed that only these emeorsnmneclln thepmtfsionoof Article US, Sea. 2efthe 

Constitutian, sre subject to Ampesehment..&fpeaohueatis 

an unusual and eup8Mive prom and tho i%nstitut%en 

doe8 not c0nt~at.e that it My be sued aa a i~otli~~# for rfw 

wtiDg Srma offloe any uaspt the hi@ aad responmlble eSf& 

oomlos tJ.lestatea TheLegls38tuPe 14'efmBssilded~~ele 

l& 6ea 7, toproridebylawfir the frial sndraovsl fmm 

cmoc of dnor oipi~lsls of the state, end this it has &me.- 

A prlvatie 01tUen doee mot have the right or pew 

to iastltute %tzpeacweat.preeeedUgs inthefloua~ Ubythe 

use of the mmd@inetitute~ is aesnt the initiztlon OS pi'oooedlngs In suoh a mannor es to ocmpsl the aMh3n of the 

liouse ther,eon.'~liowever, a ptivate citizen may&nstAtute~ 

pxmeodlnge Sor ImpeachMnt in the Bouoe In tie eense that 

the oltizen maJi)csnvey %.nSennotion ti the menbaa OS the 

House upon uhioh the Hotme IteelS may deem It espedien~ to 

institute and prosecute %mpeacfarmt prooeedings against any 

of the offioers named in the Coaetftut*on. 

Pe are of the opinion that impoaclPnent proaeedlngs 

in the liousc should be begun by the intreduotion of a resolution by usx? of the umnbers OS the Uouse, setting out beSore the Uouso the charges, in general, agaiaet the partiou- 
lar offioer or offiaern desired to be impeacheil, and resolviag that the Uouee foam iteel? into a tksuittee o? the'l&ole 

for the parpose of invest%gating euoh aharges, bearing witnt%iieeEi, nnd determining whether or not there is su?fcMut 

ground6 to juetl?y the Souse ln presenting articles of irnpeaahment to the Senate. If, after such Investigation and 

the hearing of ritnees,es, the kiouse detenninen that articles 

of lmpeaclaxent should.be prePerred against the otficer or offioers, such articles of impeaohsBnt should be drawn up In 

writing, and the charges should be made in su?Slolent detail 

therelg and with su??loient oertalnty, to lnforrs the aocased 

officer or officers of the nature o? the offense or offense 

alleged to have been consultted by him or thorn, and ooneidered 

by the Souse to bo of such gravity a6 to warrant the preferment of such charges. 

l? the Souse adopts lurtlcles a? inpeachment, it prefers them to the Senate - that iq it riles such articles of 

*&aiieat with the Scnatc, the articles of impeaohment thus 

sensltg the fun&ion of a pleading or lndlotment before the 

senate, s$ttlng a6 a wurt. The Senate, sitting as suah 

wart, hears the evldenoe adduced before it upon such articles of laqaachment by the House through its authoriaed rupresentatires, dealares the lax and renders Judgment. In $ts 

?unati.on as a court, the Senate therefore rill see that the 

accused is suffioiuntly S.nfUwed of the nature of the oharges 

preferred against h3m,. that ho has an opportunity to appear 

and defend himself, and that be Is confronted with the titnesses against him. The senate, of course, is the judge o? 

the oredIbility of the sitnessee produocd before It, the 

jddge o? the prooedure which it shall adopt in wnauottig 

such trial, and the judge'o? the question wbether such of 

the oharges rcferrud to it as arc, in its jurl~ent., satisgactorily established by the o~tiencc, arc of sufficient 

gravity as to authorize or require it to render judgment 

impeaching such officer or officers. 

Par u further discussion of the prooodarc to be 

adopted tn matters of Impeachment, xc refer you to tba 

authorfties above oitod, which contain a more extend& 

treatment of the matter. 

Yours very truly 

R. 1. Fairchild 

Assistant 
Eonorable IL l%mettMorm, Juue 30, sgge, pm 1)