Closed sessions of the United States Senate

Last updated

The United States Senate has the authority for meeting in closed session, as described in the Standing Rules of the Senate.

Contents

The Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention met in secret. The Senate met in secret until 1794. The Senate’s executive sessions (such as nominations and treaties) were not opened until 1929.

Standing Senate Rules XXI, XXIX, and XXXI cover secret sessions for legislative and executive business (nominations and treaties). Rule XXIX calls for Senate consideration of treaties to be conducted in secret unless a majority votes to lift the “injunction of secrecy,” which it usually does. Rule XXXI mandates that all nominations be considered in open session unless the Senate votes to do so in secret. Rule XXI calls for the Senate to close its doors once a motion is made and seconded. The motion is not debatable, and its disposition is made behind closed doors. All of a chamber’s normal rules of debate apply during secret sessions, except during impeachment deliberations in the Senate.

For Senate impeachment proceedings, Rules XX and XXIV of the Senate Rules for Impeachment Trials govern secret deliberations. The Senate has interpreted these rules to require closed deliberations during impeachment trials.

The proceedings of a secret session are not published unless the Senate votes, during the meeting or at a later time, to release them. Then, those portions released are printed in the Congressional Record. If the Senate does not approve release of a secret session transcript, the transcript is stored in the Office of Senate Security and ultimately sent to the National Archives and Records Administration. The proceedings remain sealed until the Senate votes to remove the injunction of secrecy.

These sessions have been held 57 times since 1929. The following is a full list of those sessions, along with their dates and the reasons they were called:

ReasonDate(s)
Discussion of the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination October 23, 2020
Ratification of the New START Treaty December 20, 2010
Impeachment trial of G. Thomas Porteous Jr. (final deliberation on verdict)December 7, 2010 (5:45 pm – 7:56 pm) [1]
The Plame affair and the Bush administration's role in pre-Iraq War intelligence (during debate on Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1995)November 1, 2005 (2:25 pm – 4:43 pm) [2]
Impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton (final deliberation on verdict)February 9, 10, 11, 12, 1999 [3]
Impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton (debate on motion to subpoena witnesses)January 26, 1999 (4:29 pm – 8:01 pm) [4]
Impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton (debate on motion to dismiss articles of impeachment)January 25, 1999 (5:50 pm – 9:51 pm) [5]
Chemical Weapons Convention April 24, 1997
Most favored nation status for People's Republic of ChinaFebruary 25, 1992
Impeachment trial of Judge Walter Nixon November 2, 1989
Impeachment trial of Judge Alcee Hastings March 16 & October 19, 1989
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty March 29, 1988
Impeachment trial of Judge Harry E. Claiborne October 7 (two sessions), 8 & 9, 1986
Defense Authorization Bill, ASAT June 12, 1984
Soviet Union arms control complianceFebruary 1, 1984
U.S. support of the Contras in Nicaragua April 26, 1983
Nominations of Richard Burt and Richard McCormack February 16, 1983
United States/Soviet Union defense capabilitiesMay 4, 1982
Armed Forces personnel managementFebruary 1, 1980
Selective Service System September 21, 1979
Aircraft sales to Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia May 15, 1978
Torrijos-Carter Treaties on the Panama Canal February 21 & 22, 1978
Neutron bomb fundingJuly 1, 1977
Defense Appropriations - Angola December 17 & 18, 1975
Intelligence Activities, alleged assassination plots involving foreign leadersNovember 20, 1975
Defense AppropriationsJune 4, 1975
Maneuverable reentry vehicle June 10, 1974
Trident submarine September 25, 1973
National Security StudyMay 2 (two sessions) & 4, 1972
U.S. involvement in Laos June 7, 1971
Legislative Agenda for 91st Congress December 18, 1970
Legislative Agenda for 91st Congress September 10, 1970
Defense Appropriations December 15, 1969
Defense AppropriationsJuly 17, 1969
Defense AppropriationsOctober 2, 1968
Committee on Intelligence Operations & Security Agency oversightJuly 14, 1966
Nike-Zeus productionApril 11, 1963
War front reportsOctober 7 & 8, 1943
Naval battleships and aircraft carriers June 26, 1942
Impeachment of Judge Halsted L. Ritter April 15 & 16, 1936
William MacCracken contempt proceedingsFebruary 13 & 14, 1934
Investigation of ocean and air mail contracts involving William MacCracken and othersFebruary 10, 1934
Impeachment of Judge Harold Louderback May 24, 1933

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 2010  Congressional Record, Vol. 156, Page  S8595 .
  2. ↑ 2005  Congressional Record, Vol. 151, Page  S12101 .
  3. ↑ 1:52pm-6:52pm on February 9 (1999  Congressional Record, Vol. 145, Page  S1387 -S1388), 10:16am-6:21pm on February 10 (1999  Congressional Record, Vol. 145, Page  S1412 ), 10:11am-7:00pm on February 11 (1999  Congressional Record, Vol. 145, Page  S1437 ), 9:44am-12:04pm on February 12 (1999  Congressional Record, Vol. 145, Page  S1458 ).
  4. ↑ 1999  Congressional Record, Vol. 145, Page  S1010
  5. ↑ 1999  Congressional Record, Vol. 145, Page  S974

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment</span> Process for charging a public official with legal offenses by the legislature(s)

Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Article One of the United States Constitution</span> Portion of the US Constitution regarding Congress

Article One of the United States Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the federal government, the United States Congress. Under Article One, Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Article One grants Congress various enumerated powers and the ability to pass laws "necessary and proper" to carry out those powers. Article One also establishes the procedures for passing a bill and places various limits on the powers of Congress and the states from abusing their powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment of Bill Clinton</span> 1998 presidential impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, was impeached by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress on December 19, 1998, for "high crimes and misdemeanors". The House adopted two articles of impeachment against Clinton, with the specific charges against Clinton being lying under oath and obstruction of justice. Two other articles had been considered but were rejected by the House vote.

In the United States Senate, the nuclear option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the Senate to override a standing rule by a simple majority, avoiding the two-thirds supermajority normally required to invoke cloture on a resolution to amend Senate rules.

The Standing Rules of the Senate are the parliamentary procedures adopted by the United States Senate that govern its procedure. The Senate's power to establish rules derives from Article One, Section 5 of the United States Constitution: "Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings ..."

In the Congress of the United States, a closed session is a parliamentary procedure for the Senate or the House of Representatives to discuss matters requiring secrecy.

An executive session is a term for any block within an otherwise open meeting in which minutes are taken separately or not at all, outsiders are not present, and the contents of the discussion are treated as confidential. In a deliberative assembly, an executive session has come to mean that the proceedings are secret and members could be punished for violating the secrecy.

The United States House of Representatives rarely meets in closed session.

In the United States Senate, a hold is a parliamentary procedure permitted by the Standing Rules of the United States Senate which allows one or more Senators to prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor.

A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings, legislative, oversight, investigative, or a combination of these, all hearings share common elements of preparation and conduct. Hearings usually include oral testimony from witnesses and questioning of the witnesses by members of Congress. George B. Galloway termed congressional hearings a goldmine of information for all the public problems of the United States. A leading authority on U.S. government publications has referred to the published hearings as "the most important publications originating within Congress." The Senate Library in a similar vein noted "Hearings are among the most important publications originating in Congress."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment of Andrew Johnson</span> 1868 impeachment of Andrew Johnson, 17th US president

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was initiated on February 24, 1868, when the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, for "high crimes and misdemeanors". The alleged high crimes and misdemeanors were afterwards specified in eleven articles of impeachment adopted by the House on March 2 and 3, 1868. The primary charge against Johnson was that he had violated the Tenure of Office Act. Specifically, that he had acted to remove from office Edwin Stanton and to replace him with Brevet Major General Lorenzo Thomas as secretary of war ad interim. The Tenure of Office had been passed by Congress in March 1867 over Johnson's veto with the primary intent of protecting Stanton from being fired without the Senate's consent. Stanton often sided with the Radical Republican faction and did not have a good relationship with Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Senate</span> Upper house of the United States Congress

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

The U.S. Congress in relation to the president and Supreme Court has the role of chief legislative body of the United States. However, the Founding Fathers of the United States built a system in which three powerful branches of the government, using a series of checks and balances, could limit each other's power. As a result, it helps to understand how the United States Congress interacts with the presidency as well as the Supreme Court to understand how it operates as a group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson</span> 1868 U.S. Senate trial

The impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States, was held in the United States Senate and concluded with acquittal on three of eleven charges before adjourning sine die without a verdict on the remaining charges. It was the first impeachment trial of a U.S. president and was the sixth federal impeachment trial in U.S. history. The trial began March 5, 1868, and adjourned on May 26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment trial of Bill Clinton</span> 1998 trial in the United States Senate

The impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, began in the U.S. Senate on January 7, 1999, and concluded with his acquittal on February 9. After an inquiry between October and December 1998, President Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 19, 1998; the articles of impeachment charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice. It was the second impeachment trial of a U.S. president, preceded by that of Andrew Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Efforts to impeach Andrew Johnson</span> American Congressional endeavors to impeach Andrew Johnson

During his presidency, Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, saw multiple efforts during his presidency to impeach him, culminating in his formal impeachment on February 24, 1868, which was followed by a Senate impeachment trial in which he was acquitted.

The first impeachment inquiry against Andrew Johnson was launched by a vote of the United States House of Representatives on January 7, 1867 to investigate the potential impeachment of Andrew Johnson, the president of the United States. It was run by the House Committee on the Judiciary.

The second impeachment inquiry against Andrew Johnson was an impeachment inquiry against Andrew Johnson, the president of the United States. It followed a previous inquiry in 1867. The second inquiry, unlike the first, was run by the House Select Committee on Reconstruction. The second inquiry ran from its authorization on January 27, 1868 until the House Select Committee on Reconstruction reported to Congress on February 22, 1868.


The House Select Committee on Reconstruction was a select committee which existed the United States House of Representatives during the 40th and 41st Congresses with a focus related to the Reconstruction Acts. The 39th Congress had had a similar joint committee called the United States Congressional Joint Committee on Reconstruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the impeachment of Andrew Johnson</span>

Andrew Johnson became the first president of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868 after he acted to dismiss Edwin Stanton as secretary of war in disregard for the Tenure of Office Act.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.