On July 6, 2020, the Supreme Court unanimously held that states may punish or replace presidential electors who refuse to cast their ballots for the candidate chosen by the voters of their state. In the case Chiafalo v. Washington, a majority of the Court held that the State of Washington’s constitutional authority to appoint electors includes the power to impose a $1,000 fine against electors who violate their pledge to support the candidate chosen in the state’s popular vote. In the related case Colorado Department of State v. Baca, the Court upheld on the same grounds Colorado’s policy of replacing electors who attempt to cast a ballot for a person who did not win the state’s popular vote. This Legal Sidebar explains the Court’s decisions and reviews their broader implications. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
The tool was used by Parliament to police political offenses committed against the “system of government.” Parliament used impeachment as a tool to punish political offenses that damaged the state or subverted the government, although impeachment was not limited to government ministers. The English Parliamentary structure of a bicameral legislature—dividing the power of impeachment between the “lower” house, which impeached individuals, and an “upper” house, which tried them—was replicated in the federal system with the power to impeach given to the House of Representatives and the power to try impeachments assigned to the Senate. NOTE: Some of the delivery of words was incorrect: Such as "Hastings" --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app