Draft:Impeachment in Pennsylvania

In the United States state of Pennsylvania, the practice of impeachment has existed since its colonial era as the Province of Pennsylvania and has continued into its existence as a state. Impeachment allows a legislative body to remove an official from office after a trial.

Colonial impeachments
Peter Hoffer and N. E. H. Hull have observed that Pennsylvania was the only of the Thirteen Colonies that "could base its impeachments upon its charter." In its nineteenth article the 1682 Frame of Government of Pennsylvania ("Charter of Liberties") gave the Assembly the power to "continue so long as may be needful to impeach Criminals fit to be there impeached." The 1682 Charter of Liberties assigned responsibility for hearing impeachment trials to the Council and governor. A two-thirds vote would be required to convict.

Nicholas More (chief justice) in 1685
Nicholas More, the chief justice of Pennsylvania, clerk of the Council, and provincial secretary, was impeached in 1685. Having no legal training, More poorly conducted himself in managing his offices. His actions annoyed the colonies lower house, the Assembly.

Assembly Speaker John White interpreted the nineteenth article of the Frame of Government as granting the body a power similar to the English Parliament’s impeachment powers allowing it to indict for "illegal acts".

Peter Hoffer and N. E. H. Hull have summarized the ten articles of impeachment that were adopted by the Assembly against More as including charges accusing him of:
 * Issuing an irregular writ
 * Excluding a man from jury duty
 * Refusing to accept a jury's verdict
 * Changing a charge
 * Bullying a witness
 * Abusing other judges
 * Reversing a lower court decision
 * Missing circuit in the lower counties during a session of court
 * Acting in contempt of the president of the Council and the Council

In anticipation for an impeachment trial in the Council, an eleventh article of impeachment was added by the impeachment managers (prosecutors) that were assigned by the Assembly alleging disregard for his duties.

The impeachment was never tried by the Council. William Penn was away from the colony at the time of the impeachment. A letter outlining the impeachment was forwarded to Penn. Penn did not give his approval to More's impeachment. Penn was had confidence in More's abilities to perform in office and soon nominated him in 1686 to instead serve as one of the five commissioners for the executive branch of the Pennsylvania government. This effectively removed him from his office as chief justice. However, More was later appointed back to again serve as the chief justice of the colony of Pennsylvania.

Impeachments since statehood
https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20221217/002335-dec.16,2022-respondentsbrieffiledwardinopptoappforsummaryrelief.pdf

https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20230726/175125-july26-kimward%27sbrief.pdf

Trial and acquittal
Alexander Hamilton served as counsel to Hopkinson during his impeachment trial.

https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniastat00hoga/page/n5/mode/2up

Pages 3 and 62

https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Aslpgenealog_19439#page/1/mode/2up Page 343

Trial and acquittal
https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniastat00hoga/page/n5/mode/2up

Pages 67 and 762

Trial and conviction
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008587570

https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniastat00hoga/page/n5/mode/2up Page 345

Trial and acquittals
https://books.google.com/books?id=O5cDAAAAQAAJ&dq=Report+of+the+Trial+and+Acquittal+of+Edward+Shippen%2C+Esquire%2C+Chief+Justice+and+Jasper+Yeats+and+Thomas+Smith%2C+Esquires%2C+Assistant+Justices%2C+of+the+Supreme+Court+of+Pennsylvania+on+an+Impeachment+Before+the+Senate+of+Pennsylvania+of+the+Commonwealth%2C+January+1805&pg=PA5

Thomas Smith (associate justice) Edward Shippen IV (chief justice) Jasper Yates (associate justice)

Impeachments
On January 29, 1817, a memorial was presented to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives complaining of misconduct by both Walter Franklin, president judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County, and Jacob Hibshman, associate judge of the same court. This report was referred to a committee, which prepared a report recommending impeachments. Articles of impeachment were written against President Judge Walter Franklin and Associate Judges Jacob Hibshman and Thomas Clark.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.74677493&view=1up&seq=471&skin=2021

https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniastat00hoga/page/n5/mode/2up Page 351

Trial and acquittals
On March 10, 1818, the Senate convened for the impeachment trial

https://www.newspapers.com/image/556559832

Trial and acquittal
https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniastat00hoga/page/n5/mode/2up Page 352

Impeachment
In

Larry Krasner (district attorney of Philadelphia) in 2022
Impeachment managers were named

Other statehood impeachment efforts
https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniastat00hoga/page/n5/mode/2up Page 352

Robert B. Woodside, Pennsylvania Constitutional Law, at 364-67 (1985)