VIEWPOINT | Congressional impeachment powers meant to keep servants accountable

Guest column by David Adler, The Alturas Institute

The doctrine of checks and balances, central to the success of American Constitutionalism, is designed to curb abuse of power and promote governmental accountability. But the Constitution is not a machine that will run without good men and women at the helm. When those in positions of authority and responsibility are reluctant to turn the wheels of checks and balances to constrain the judiciary, for example, there is little to deter misbehavior. Justice James Iredell, a member of the first Supreme Court, and one of the most penetrating thinkers of the founding period, told the North Carolina Ratifying Convention, “A man in public office who knows there is no tribunal to punish him, may be ready to deviate from his duty.”

VIEWPOINT: Impeachment clause meant to deter federal judges from misbehavior