The Nation - News from Aug. 7, 1986

Performing a drama not seen in Congress for more than half a century, a House delegation marched into the Senate chamber and demanded the impeachment trial of jailed federal judge Harry E. Claiborne for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Rep. Peter W. Rodino Jr. (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, stood in the well of the Senate and read four articles of impeachment against Claiborne, who is serving a two-year sentence in federal prison for tax evasion and continues to draw his $78,700 annual salary for the lifetime appointment. The House passed the articles, similar to a grand jury indictment, 406 to 0 on July 22. The Senate is expected to conduct a trial in mid-September after the summer recess.