In legal terms, the term impeach’has two distinct meanings. The first is to challenge and call into question the credibility of a witness, usually during a trial. The other definition of impeach is an action taken by a legislative or governmental body to accuse a sitting official or public officer of wrongdoing. This officer can be removed from office if found guilty.
Challenging the Credibility of a Witness
The defendant and the prosecutor during a trial each have the opportunity to challenge the credibility of witnesses who testify. The defendant is allowed to impeach the prosecutor’s witness to challenge their perceived honesty, integrity or credibility. Impeachment of a witness is done by bringing up evidence of irrelevant activities, presenting irrelevant past statements by the witness or on occasion, introducing evidence that could be considered character assassination in an effort to cast doubt on their reliability.
Removal of Governmental Officials
The second meaning of impeachment involves the legislative body of the government accusing a public officer of misconduct or criminal activity. The accuser organization, such as the U.S. House of Representatives in the United States, issues a formal accusation called articles of impeachment. If the person being accused is found guilty of the charges, he or she is removed from office. Recent examples of this include the impeachment of President Donald Trump in 2019 and President Bill Clinton in 1998.