Senate acquits Justice Samuel Chase

Background. Chase was impeached by the House on March 12, 1804, for alleged misconduct, including partisan attacks on Thomas Cooper in 1800 and denouncing the repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801 in 1803. The House adopted eight articles on December 4, 1804, including charges related to the John Fries trial. The Senate trial began February 9, 1805, with Vice President Aaron Burr presiding.

Political Context. The acquittal occurred amidst broader Jeffersonian struggles to remove Federalist judges. In 1804, Federalist Senator John Quincy Adams warned voters that Republican efforts to target judges required Federalist electoral strength to curtail. The failure to remove Chase followed the Pennsylvania Senate's acquittal of three Federalist justices in January 1805, reflecting a pattern of failed removal attempts.

Outcome. The Senate convened on March 1, 1805, to vote on the verdicts. None of the eight articles received the necessary two-thirds majority for conviction. Consequently, Chase remained in office, marking the end of the specific legislative attempt to remove him from the Supreme Court.