Censure

The House of Representatives is due to judge veteran Representative Charlie Rangel today - and he is likely to face censure. The House's power to punish its own members derives from Article I, Section 5, clause 2, of the Constitution:


"Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member."

The three main forms of discipline are are now “expulsion,” “censure,” or “reprimand,”. Censure is "is a formal vote by the majority of Members present and voting on a resolution disapproving a Member’s conduct, with generally the additional requirement that the Member stand at the “well” of the House chamber to receive a verbal rebuke and reading of the censure resolution by the Speaker of the House."

There is a Congressional Research Service paper on the subject, accessible here.