A.4(f). Impeachment Procedures

Once the Speaker of the House delivers to the Leader of the Senate a vote affirming impeachment, all other business of the Senate ceases. Every Senator will swear or affirm the following:

“I, (full legal name), solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will be an impartial judge in the matter of the trial for impeachment of (full legal name of the person being impeached) on the charge(s) of (basis of impeachment). I positively affirm that I understand the People of the United States have vested in me the authority to ensure our Republic's integrity. I will faithfully listen to the evidence and vote in the way the evidence and the laws require.”

The Leader of the Senate will administer this Oath to all other Senators, and then the Deputy Leader will administer this Oath to the Leader.

If the President of the United States is on trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will preside. In all other trials, the Leader of the Senate will preside unless they recuse themselves for a publicly disclosed cause, in which case, the Deputy Leader will preside. If the Deputy Leader similarly recuses themselves, the Senators will hold a secret ballot and choose a Presiding Officer for the trial.

An impeachment trial is a somber and solemn exercise of oversight. However, only the most foolish would also consider it a non-political endeavor. The Senate will choose the rules of evidence to be used in the trial in the open, with all votes public, and the Parliamentarian will judge whether those rules are applicable as evidence and testimony are presented. Any Senator may ask for clarification on the rules.

The threshold of conviction is two-thirds of Senators voting. Votes and deliberations are conducted by secret ballot, but the Secretary of the Senate will record the votes and publicly disclose them on the fifth anniversary of the verdict's announcement.

A "guilty " verdict will result in the convicted person being immediately removed from office, but will not incur any criminal penalty. Nothing in this Charter prevents the Person in question from facing criminal prosecution once removed.