United States Senate Election, Expulsion, and Censure Cases, 1793-1990

The Senate likes to call itself the world's greatest deliberative body. For two centuries, however, its members have tested that premise in remarkable ways. Over 200 senators faced formal challenges between 1793 and 1990, some for naked corruption, others for the crime of merely existing in opposition to their colleagues' political ambitions. This exhaustive reference work, compiled by the Congressional Research Service, documents every case of contested election, expulsion, and censure in the Senate's history. Readers will find the expected villains: the bribe-takers, the Confederate sympathizers, the cranks who brought genuine dishonor to the chamber. But they will also find the uncomfortable truth that many cases were naked political weaponization, minority factions using procedure to silence enemies, majorities punishing behavior that simply irritated them. The cases trace an arc from the Senate's early laissez-faire attitude toward its own standards to the more codified (if still imperfect) system of ethics enforcement that emerged in the twentieth century. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand not just how the Senate actually functions, but how it has always functioned: as a club of powerful people policing themselves, with all the messiness that entails.