Samuel Chase Impeachment

Jefferson had a series of political struggles with the Federalists, whose supporters such as Chase and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall dominated the federal judiciary. The decision of the Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803), which established the principle of judicial review, was not revered by Jefferson.

In an attempt to change the makeup of the Supreme Court, Jefferson played a part in orchestrating impeachment proceedings against Chase. Jefferson tried to exploit his party's domination of the Senate, where 25 of the 34 Senators were Democratic-Republicans and only nine were Federalists. Under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, federal judges can be impeached for "High Crimes and Misdemeanors," and under Article I, Section 3 the trial must be conducted before the Senate. Jefferson's allies in the House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment against Chase, which were duly received by the Senate.

The Senate's High Court of Impeachment, presided over by Vice-President Aaron Burr, opened on 4 February 1805. The "trial managers," or prosecutors, were John Randolph and Caesar Rodney. Chase's lawyers were Robert Goodloe Harper, Joseph Hopkinson and Luther Martin. There were eight articles, which named a variety of Democratic-Republican grievances against Chase concerning the trials he had presided over. The charges ranged from allegedly giving a false legal definition of treason during the trial of one John Fries in Article One to allegedly making very political comments to a Baltimore grand jury in Article Eight.

There was certainly plenty of evidence that Chase was a highly opinionated Federalist judge, who had perhaps acted with little regard for courtroom niceties, but there was very little proof that his actions were serious enough to be deemed constitutional violations.

Even the Democratic-Republican senators felt uncomfortable. Trial manager Rodney in his closing argument lamely begged the Senate:

Remember, if this honorable court acquit the defendant, they declare in the most solemn manner, . . . that he has . . . behaved himself well, in a manner becoming the character of a judge worthy of his situation.

On 1 March 1805 the Senate voted on Chase's impeachment. On each of the eight articles, enough Democratic-Republican senators joined the Federalists in voting "not guilty" so that Chase was acquitted of all the charges against him. Chase continued to serve on the Supreme Court until he died in June of 1811.

Chase's acquittal was a defeat for Jefferson, who may have planned to impeach Chief Justice Marshall if Chase was found guilty. The Samuel Chase impeachment was the first and only time Congress impeached a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.