by David Tollen | Jan 10, 2021 | The Early Modern Age, The Recent Modern Age, Current Politics, Legal History
The Constitution says nothing specific about whether Congress can impeach an official after his or her term. That didn’t stop the House of Representatives from impeaching the Secretary of War in 1876, after he left office — or the Senate from trying him....
by David Tollen | Jan 30, 2020 | The Recent Modern Age, Author's Corner, Legal History
Under the Constitution, the Vice President presides over the Senate — except during presidential impeachment trials. The Vice President would inherit the President’s position if the trial led to conviction, so the Founders feared the VP’s bias. Who...
by David Tollen | Nov 25, 2019 | The Recent Modern Age, Author's Corner, Legal History
Almost every U.S. state has an independent attorney general. Forty-eight of our state governors cannot fire their AG at will, so they can’t avoid justice through control of state prosecutors. American Presidents, however, however, can fire the U.S. Attorney...
by David Tollen | Dec 12, 2016 | Classical Civilization, Author's Corner
The early Roman Empire survived two mentally unbalanced emperors: Caligula and Nero. In fact, neither seems to have harmed the economy or disrupted the lives of the common people, despite bizarre behavior. That’s encouraging in the age of Donald Trump. During...
