For the opening day of House impeachment proceedings before the Judiciary Committee, four legal scholars have been called in to testify on the history, intent, and importance of impeachment.
Noah Feldman is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, a constitutional expert who has participated in multiple landmark cases related to the First Amendment, and the author of a biography of James Madison.
Pamela Karlan of Stanford Law School is regarded as one of the top scholars on voting rights. She is a former U.S. deputy assistant attorney general and the creator of a Supreme Court litigation clinic where students practice litigating cases.
Michael Gerhardt is is the Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at UNC. He previously testified before a House select committee considering the impeachment of Judge Thomas Porteous.
Jonathan Turley is a professor at George Washington Law School. He is a well-known commentator who is a regular on the Sunday morning talk circuit, and is the only one of the four who was invited to the hearing by Republicans on the committee.
As with the public hearings before the House Intelligence Committee, there will be opening statements, one or more rounds of questioning by staff, and then five minutes offered to each member of the committee.
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019 · 3:15:50 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Nadler provides a strong opening statement that does not shy away from the investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election, but brings together both the Russia and Ukraine scandals as facets of Trump’s general corruption. Well done, and a good signal that Democrats aren’t going to shy away from bringing a broader case against Trump.
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019 · 3:44:02 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Nadler has set a 10 minute limit on the opening statements from the witnesses. Which … thank goodness. Turley’s opening was set to be 51 pages, and included—not kidding—his thoughts on the film A Man for All Seasons, and on the disappointments of his Golden doodle.
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019 · 3:51:31 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Feldman: “On the basis of the testimony and evidence before the House, President Trump has committed impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors by corruptly abusing the office of the presidency.” Feldman makes it clear that just asking for the investigations was sufficient. That Trump conditioned a White House visit and military aid on those requests is another impeachable offense, but not required.
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019 · 3:55:29 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Pamela Karlan goes directly at Doug Collins, shows that she can shout back at him—in a way that other members of the committee are not allowed to do by House rules. “I am insulted,” said Karlan, by Collins’ claims that she didn’t follow the testimony in Intelligence Committee.
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019 · 4:33:46 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Serving as the Judiciary Committee counsel is Norman Eisen. He previously served as White House Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform. Interestingly, Eisen also served as Ambassador to the Czech Republic—which could give him particular insights into a case where many of the witnesses are also ambassadors.