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Justice James D. Heiple: Impeachment And The Assault On Judicial Independence, Jerome B. Meites, Steven F. Pflaum

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

In 1997, the Illinois House of Representatives conducted its first impeachment investigation of an Illinois Supreme Court justice in 145 years. In this Article, the authors discuss the appropriate standards for impeachment under the Illinois constitution and the need to ensure that the independence of the judiciary is not harmed by politically motivated impeachment proceedings. The authors also examine how the Special House Investigating Committee ("House Committee") applied those standards to its investigation of Illinois Supreme Court Justice James D. Heiple. Finally, they propose reforms to the judicial disciplinary provisions of the Illinois constitution as a result of the Heiple …