Skip to content

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022

Can a majority in the Wisconsin Assembly impeach elected officials?


yes

The Wisconsin Constitution gives the Wisconsin Legislature "the power of impeaching all civil officers of this state for corrupt conduct in office, or for crimes and misdemeanors." (Civil officer is not defined, however.)

If a majority of the state Assembly votes in favor of impeachment, the state Senate tries the impeachment. If two-thirds of the state Senate votes in favor of conviction, an impeached official would be removed and could be disqualified from holding "any office of honor, profit or trust under the state." Republicans now have a two-thirds majority in the state Senate as a result of the 2022 midterm elections.

The provision allows for the impeachment of state elected officials such as governor, lieutenant governor and judges.

The only impeachment proceedings in Wisconsin history took place against a state Supreme Court justice in the mid-1800s — and he was acquitted. 

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.