Jonah Patel
During the Trump impeachment hearing, three constitutional lawyers testified: Noah Feldman, Pamela Karlan, and Jonathan Turley. Separately, in March 2023, two of Trump's lawyers, M. Evan Corcoran and Timothy Parlatore, testified before a grand jury investigating the former president's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. In addition, Trump's former national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, testified during the Jan 6 hearings that he had resigned from the administration after witnessing Trump's attacks on Pence for fulfilling his constitutional duty in overseeing the certification of Biden's victory.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of constitutional lawyers who testified at Trump's impeachment hearing | 3 |
| Names of constitutional lawyers | Noah Feldman, Pamela Karlan, Jonathan Turley |
| Hearing date | 4th December 2019 |
| Trump's party affiliation | Republican |
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What You'll Learn
Trump impeachment hearing
The impeachment of former U.S. President Donald Trump occurred in two parts, with the first impeachment trial taking place in 2019 and the second in 2021.
First Impeachment Hearing
During the first impeachment hearing, four constitutional law experts testified before the House Judiciary Committee: Noah Feldman of Harvard University, Pamela Karlan of Stanford University, Michael Gerhardt of the University of North Carolina, and Jonathan Turley of George Washington University.
Second Impeachment Hearing
The second impeachment trial began in 2021, after Trump had left office. In the lead-up to the trial, 150 legal scholars signed a letter affirming that the Constitution permits the impeachment of former officials, including presidents. However, the Senate ultimately voted against calling witnesses, with most Republican senators arguing that the Senate lacked the constitutional authority to impeach a former president.
In both impeachment hearings, there was a focus on the constitutional implications and the role of legal scholars and experts. While the first impeachment hearing featured testimony from four constitutional lawyers, the second hearing did not include witness testimony due to the Senate's decision.
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Noah Feldman, Harvard Law professor
Noah Feldman, a professor of law at Harvard Law School, testified at the first House Judiciary Committee hearing into the Trump impeachment inquiry on December 4, 2019. He was one of four legal scholars who testified on the constitutional landscape of impeachment. The hearing followed the first round of hearings regarding President Donald Trump held by the House Intelligence Committee.
In his opening statement, Feldman, a former clerk for Justice David Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court, asserted that Trump had "committed impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors by corruptly abusing the office of the presidency." He argued that Trump "abused his office by corruptly soliciting [Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations of his political rivals in order to gain personal advantage, including in the 2020 presidential election."
Feldman's testimony also included a discussion of the constitutional history of impeachment. He cited his role at Harvard, where he teaches a course on the U.S. Constitution from its origins to the present. Feldman explained that the Constitution's framers included impeachment out of concern that the President might abuse their power to corrupt the electoral process, ensure reelection, or compromise national security.
In an interview following his testimony, Feldman reflected on the unique role of a constitutional law expert in times of political turmoil: "When the republic is going well, constitutional law isn't that important of a subject. And it's only when suddenly the country finds itself in serious trouble that my job actually, I hope, only briefly becomes relevant."
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Pamela Karlan, Stanford Law professor
On December 4, 2019, Pamela Susan Karlan, a Stanford Law School professor, testified alongside law professors Noah Feldman, Michael Gerhardt, and Jonathan Turley before the House Judiciary Committee. The hearing was regarding the constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
Karlan is a leading legal scholar on voting rights and constitutional law. She is a professor of public interest law at Stanford Law School and has been a member of the Stanford Law School faculty since 1998. Before joining Stanford, she was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law, where she taught from 1988 to 1998. During her time at the University of Virginia, she received several awards for her teaching, including the All-University Outstanding Teaching Award in 1995–96 and the Outstanding Faculty Award in 1997.
Karlan has also held various government positions. She served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Voting Rights in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice from 2014 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2022. In addition, she oversaw voting rights at the Justice Department under former President Barack Obama. Karlan has also served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Harry Blackmun of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Abraham David Sofaer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Karlan is a member of several prestigious organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Law Institute. She has also authored numerous scholarly articles and co-authored leading casebooks on constitutional law, constitutional litigation, and the law of democracy.
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Jonathan Turley, constitutional expert
Jonathan Turley is a professor of public interest law at George Washington University Law School, where he teaches torts, criminal procedure, and constitutional law. He is a nationally recognized legal scholar and commentator, ranking 38th in the top 100 most-cited "public intellectuals" in a study by Judge Richard Posner. He is also the second most-cited law professor in the country.
Turley is a constitutional expert who has testified in multiple impeachment hearings, including those of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. During Clinton's impeachment, he told the House Judiciary Committee that the allegations against Clinton, including perjury and obstruction of justice, would amount to "clear and compelling" grounds for impeachment if proven. In the case of Trump, Turley argued that the Democrats had moved too quickly and focused too narrowly on Trump's relations with Ukraine. He also stated that Trump's efforts to interfere with the Justice Department's investigation of Russia's involvement in the 2016 election did not amount to obstruction of justice.
Turley has served as a consultant on constitutional issues and is a frequent witness before the House and Senate on such matters. He has written extensively on constitutional law, with his articles appearing in leading law journals and national publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today. He has also authored a book titled "The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage," advocating for free speech rights under the First Amendment.
As an attorney, Turley has worked on notable cases, including the defense of civil rights activists, NSA whistleblowers, and protesters. He has also served as an expert witness in extradition proceedings and provided legal analysis for major television networks such as NBC, CBS, BBC, and Fox News. Turley is highly respected in his field, having received an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civil liberties and the public interest.
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Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran
Evan Corcoran, born Matthew Evan Corcoran on July 28, 1964, is an American former federal prosecutor who became a white-collar crime defence attorney. He gained national prominence as a lawyer for former US President Donald Trump.
Corcoran joined Trump's defence team in April 2022, and in May 2022, he argued against proceeding with a criminal investigation into Trump's handling of government documents, stating that presidents have the "absolute authority" to declassify documents. However, in March 2023, Corcoran was forced to testify before a grand jury investigating Trump's mishandling of classified documents.
Corcoran's father, Tom Corcoran, was a four-term US Representative from Illinois. After graduating from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in politics in 1986, Corcoran received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991. He worked as an assistant to a ranking member of a US House of Representatives subcommittee and later became an Assistant US Attorney in Washington, DC, before moving to private practice in 2000.
Corcoran has taken on several high-profile cases, including defending Steve Bannon in his contempt of Congress case and a Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty to participating in the January 6 Capitol attack. He also represented Trump in two criminal prosecutions that were dismissed after Trump's election victory. In addition to his legal career, Corcoran was a member of the Princeton varsity rowing team that won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship.
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Frequently asked questions
Three constitutional lawyers testified at Trump's impeachment hearing: Jonathan Turley, Noah Feldman, and Pamela Karlan.
Jonathan Turley is a professor of public interest law at the George Washington University Law School. He has written opinion columns arguing that Democrats moved too quickly in the impeachment process and focused too narrowly on Trump's relations with Ukraine.
No, Trump and his lawyers were invited to appear but declined, citing a lack of "fundamental fairness."
