Welcome to the Number of the Day
November 30, 2020
On November 30, 1804—216 years ago today—the U.S. Senate formally began preparations for an impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.[1]
Partisan tensions appeared to be heavily involved. Chase had been appointed by George Washington, had served on the Court since 1796, and was a “staunch Federalist.” However, by 1804, the political environment had shifted dramatically. The Federalists held just 9 of 34 seats in the Senate. Thomas Jefferson was in the White House, and his party—Jeffersonian Republicans—had supermajority control of the Senate.[1]
“Highlighting the political nature of this case, the final article of impeachment accused the justice of continually promoting his political agenda on the bench, thereby ‘tending to prostitute the high judicial character with which he was invested, to the low purpose of an electioneering partizan.’”[1]
The trial began early in 1805, and Chase was acquitted on March 1, with “at least six Jeffersonian Republicans joining the nine Federalists who voted not guilty on each article” of impeachment. “The Senate thereby effectively insulated the judiciary from further congressional attacks based on disapproval of judges’ opinions.”[1]
Chase—who had signed the Declaration of Independence earlier in his career—continued serving on the Supreme Court until he died in 1811.[2]
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About the Number of the Day
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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