What Does Acquitted Mean in an Impeachment Trial?

In January of 2020, the Senate held an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, based off of the two articles of impeachment approved by the House of Representatives. So what does it mean when someone is acquitted in an impeachment trial?

What an Impeachment Trial Is

To understand what acquittal in an impeachment trial means, it’s important to understand what an impeachment trial is. An impeachment trial is a trial held by the Senate to determine the guilt or innocence of the president for the offenses presented in the articles of impeachment. Not unlike a regular trial in a court of law, there is a statement of the charges and a presentation of evidence from both sides, in this case the House Managers against the president and his defense team. The Chief Justice of the United States presides over the hearings, and the Senators ultimately act as the jury, as they are the ones who will ultimately decide whether or not the president is guilty.

What Acquittal Means

The purpose of the impeachment trial is to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused. An acquittal is the result of the trial when the accused is found to be not guilty of the charges presented. The acquittal is given in a final vote done by the Senate, which requires a two-thirds majority vote to convict the president. All 100 Senators vote on the final acquittal, as in the trial of President Trump, and if the vote is not in favor of the impeachment, then the president is acquitted.

What Happens After Acquittal

When the president is acquitted, the charges brought against him are dropped and he can continue to serve his term as president. The trial itself is still recorded in the history books, but no further action is taken from the Senate following an acquittal. The Senate is prohibited from trying the same president twice for the same charges, so all those charges officially disappear and the president can continue to serve until the end of his term.

In conclusion, being acquitted in an impeachment trial is the result of being found not guilty of the charges against the president. It requires a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate and they cannot bring the same charges against the president again. After acquittal is passed, the president can continue to serve in office until his term is completed.