Analysis | Trump impeachment: what happens next, and how can Senate speed up the trial?

The US House has voted to impeach Donald Trump over the attack on the Capitol and his attempts to obstruct the certification of the US election results

The impeachment trial could be slow, which is bad news for Joe Biden’s first 100 days. But there is a way to speed it up, using the summary judgment approach

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National Guard soldiers are seen on the grounds of the US Capitol building ahead of Donald Trump’s impeachment vote in the House on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 4:00pm, 14 Jan 2021Updated: 9:16pm, 14 Jan 2021

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Ronald Krotoszynski on politico.com on January 13, 2021.

On Wednesday, House Democrats, joined by 10 Republican members, adopted an article of impeachment against US President Donald Trump. It called for Trump’s removal because of his “conduct on January 6, 2021, following his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the results of the 2020 Presidential election”.

Now, the article goes to the Senate, which must conduct an impeachment trial of the president, followed by a vote on whether to remove the president from office. The trial is likely to be pushed into the early days of President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed on Wednesday that he would not reconvene the Senate ahead of Biden’s inauguration. And it could be slow; if past impeachment trials are any indication, this trial could last weeks.

This is bad news for Biden’s first 100 days. The long process could derail policy priorities and Cabinet nominations. It would also place Trump at the centre of American political life for long after the inauguration of Biden – just as the country is desperate to turn the page. And Republicans might have an incentive to drag it out even longer to make Biden’s first raft of legislation more difficult to pass.

But there is a way to speed up the Senate trial, while still allowing the House impeachment managers and Trump’s lawyers a meaningful opportunity to make their best arguments to the Senate jury.