March 8, 2025 Story by: Editor
The House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, after he disrupted Trump’s address on Tuesday. One of the disciplinary measures the House and Senate have historically used against members of Congress is censure, sometimes referred to as condemnation or denouncement.
What is Censure?
Censure is an official expression of disapproval, adopted through a majority vote in the form of a resolution. However, it does not remove a senator from office, nor does it strip them of their rights or privileges.
Article I of the Constitution gives the House and the Senate alike the authority to determine how to “punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour.” The House first censured a representative in 1832 for insulting the House speaker. In the House, members have been censured for offenses such as using unparliamentary language in floor debate, corruption and even committing assault on the House floor.
Al Green (D-TX) is the 28th member of the House to be censured. Since 1789, the Senate has censured nine members for actions deemed inappropriate or damaging to the institution.
According to Article I, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, “Each House [of Congress] may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.”
Source: House of Representative
