State Senate Considers Expanding Impeachment Powers

(AP) – Missouri senators would be responsible for trying all impeachments of elected state officials under a proposed constitutional amendment.

Under current law, most officials are impeached by the House and then tried by the Missouri Supreme Court. Impeachments of a governor and Supreme Court judges are tried by a panel of “eminent jurists.”

The measure reviewed Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee would give the Senate the power to try all impeachments. Sponsoring Republican Sen. Ed Emery, of Lamar, said the change would put Missouri in line with the federal government and most other states.

Then-Secretary of State Judy Moriarty was the last official to be impeached. She was convicted and removed from office in 1994 for backdating her son’s candidate filing application.