The Nation - News from Feb. 12, 1988

Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham, expressing fear he cannot get a fair shake in the Legislature, said he wanted a delay in his Senate impeachment trial so he can answer criminal charges against him in court first. The 30-member Senate convened as a court of impeachment to hear charges brought by the House of Representatives in its impeachment of Mecham last week. Members were sworn in by Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Gordon Jr., who will preside over the trial. The senators then began a closed-door session, where they debated and adopted rules for the proceedings. Gordon told the senators, who will act as judges and jurors, that the impeachment trial is a political proceeding, not a criminal trial.