Harry E. Claiborne

Judge Claiborne, of the District of Nevada, was impeached by the House in 1986 after being convicted of tax fraud in 1984. As a part of its proceedings, the Senate, for the first time, used a twelve-member committee to collect and hear evidence. Claiborne’s attempt to block this procedure in court failed. He was convicted by the full Senate on three of the four counts.

Congressional Materials

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are provided when available.

Journal of the House of Representatives
Call Number: KF46 .A22
Published/Created: 1789-
99th Cong., 2d Sess. 832-33 (1986) - Proceedings concerning the consideration and approval of the articles of impeachment are published at pages 832-33 (available at HathiTrust External).
Journal of the Senate of the United States of America
Call Number: KF45 .A22
Published/Created: 1789-
99th Cong., 2d Sess. (1988) - Proceedings for the trial start on page 683 (available at HathiTrust External).
Congressional Record
Call Number: KF35
Published/Created: 1874-
132 Cong. Rec. (1986) - The House’s consideration and approval of the articles of impeachment appear on pages 17,294-306. The Senate’s vote for conviction appears on pages 29,870-72 (available at govinfo (v. 132, House consideration) and govinfo (v. 132, Senate vote)).
Proceedings of the United States Senate in the Trial of Impeachment of Harry E. Claiborne, S. Doc. No. 99-48 by U.S. Senate
Call Number: KF8782.C53 U54 1986
Published/Created: 1986
Contains the text of Senate proceedings as published originally in the Congressional Record, the text of the investigatory committee report, supporting exhibits, documents filed in Judge Claiborne’s challenge to the use of the investigatory committee, and House and Senate resolutions. If using the Serial Set, the associated volume is 13,670 (available at HathiTrust External).
Report of the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee, 99th Cong., S. Hrg. 99-812 by U.S. Senate
Call Number: KF26 .I42 1986
Published/Created: 1986
A four-part volume containing the text of the proceedings of the Committee; documents submitted by the Committee and the respondent; and testimony given by witnesses before the Committee. Part 4 and the addendum are missing from the physical collections but available in volume 5 of Reams and Gray (see above) (available at HathiTrust External).
United States Congressional Serial Set
Call Number: KF12 .U5
Published/Created: 1817-
- U.S. Senate, On the Impeachment of Harry E. Claiborne, S. Doc. No. 99-511 - Summary of the Report of the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee. Found in volume 13,680 (available at HathiTrust External).
- U.S. House of Representatives, Impeachment of Judge Harry E. Claiborne, H.R. Rep. No. 99-688 - Summarizes the House Committee on the Judiciary’s proceedings and the evidence gathered against Claiborne. Found in volume 13,703 (available at HathiTrust External).
Conduct of Harry E. Claiborne, U.S. District Judge, District of Nevada: Hearing before the Special Committee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives by U.S. House of Representatives
Call Number: KF27 .J857 1986
Published/Created: 1986
Includes testimony of witnesses supporting and opposing the resolution of impeachment and certain exhibits and supporting documents on Claiborne’s case and the topic of impeachment (available at HathiTrust External).
Subcommittee Markup of House Resolution 461, Impeachment of Judge Harry E. Claiborne before the Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Judges of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives by Staff of H.R. Comm. on the Judiciary
Call Number: KF8782.C53 S83 1987
Published/Created: 1987
Prints of the Subcommittee’s proceedings concerning the impeachment resolution (available at HathiTrust External).
Markup of House Resolution 461, Impeachment of Judge Harry E. Claiborne before the Committee on the Judiciary by Staff of H.R. Comm. on the Judiciary
Call Number: KF8782.C53 U55 1986
Published/Created: 1986
Prints of the Committee’s proceedings concerning the impeachment resolution (available at HathiTrust External).

Secondary Source

Congressional Impeachment Process and the Judiciary: Documents and Materials on the Removal of Federal District Judge Harry E. Claiborne by Bernard D. Reams & Carol J. Gray
Call Number: KF8782.C53 C66 1987
Published/Created: 1987
Includes the text of all of the congressional documents and proceedings generated during the impeachment process and of selected documents generated during the prosecution of Claiborne for tax fraud and his appeal of his conviction on those charges. This source is easy and convenient to use. A table of contents for the set appears at the beginning of the first volume.

Federal Impeachment

Harry E. Claiborne

Featured Link

Congressional Materials

Secondary Source