To: U.S. House of Representatives, All U.S. State Houses of Delegates, All U.S. State Senate Houses, All U.S. State Governors, The Press, The American Public.
Amend The Impeachment Process
In light of the deep partisan divide in our country, and the fact that this impeachment process is a direct reflection of it, I think it is absolutely necessary for Congress to amend the constitution's Impeachment Clause to include the following:
"Prior to an impeachment trial, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court may elect to recuse any and all members of the Senate and move to a random jury selection process, should circumstances arise that suggest the integrity of the impeachment process may be at risk."
Why is this important?
This constitutional amendment would serve as the checks-and-balances on partisan politics during Impeachment. By allowing sitting U.S. Senators to be switched out for randomly-selected jurors, the impeachment process is no longer political: It is officially a criminal trial. The value of such a measure is that it formally recognizes Impeachment for what it truly is: The means by which a sitting elected official is charged, tried, and either acquitted or convicted and removed from office due to proven criminal activity. The partisanship of the Senate would not be the deciding factor in such a case, and it would be the voters who are voting to either acquit or convict and remove from office a sitting President. Another factor in how this measure acts as a checks-and-balances on the adminstration of justice within the U.S. Government is that it forces U.S. Senators, as well as the President, to come face to face with members of their own constituencies. Ordinary citizens sharing the same space as sitting government officials infuses into the process the realization that it is We, The People that the duely-elected are accountable to, and not simply a handful of wealthy donors. It makes far more sense to do it this way.