Analysis Of The Video Lecture On America s Legal History

Rohan Barkley uID: u0821967 1. As mentioned in the video lecture, in terms of America’s legal history, there has never been a situation where the judicial and legislative branches faced the president with a writ to provide evidence that could be valuable in a criminal case. In essence, this Supreme Court case tackles the political principle of â€Å"separation of powers,† which represents the foundation of the American federal system. President Nixon possessed secret audio recordings of several meetings with the top members of his administration, and a special prosecutor appointed by Nixon investigated this cover-up. Nixon refused to comply with a subpoena that ordered him to release the tapes because he believed that his â€Å"executive privilege†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Joe McCarthy. (The hearings concerned allegations that McCarthy had pressured the Army to give preferential treatment to a former aide, and McCarthy s counter-charges.)† (Weiner, 2007). This is another example of executive privilege being asserted by the president. 3. According to Articles I and II of the Constitution, the president, vice president, and all other executive officers of the United States will be removed from office for committing bribery, treason, or any other major misconducts. Also, the House of Representatives and Senate have the power to bring in the impeachment charges and vote based on majority before the official is removed from office (The Heritage Foundation). One historical example of when Congress has attempted impeachment of a sitting president is when Andrew Johnson was impeached because he was not able to adhere to regulations which banned firing cabinet members without Congress’ consent. Another instance is when President Clinton was charged for meddling with witnesses, being dishonest to a jury, and hiding evidence of sexual harassment, which is what led to his impeachment by Congress (The Heritage Foundation). 4. The first Article of Impeachment which the House considered against President Nixon was the â€Å"obstruction of justice,† and the vote count was 27-11 by the House Judiciary Committee (The History Place). The