Biography

Buckner F. Melton, Jr. is a nationally-recognized expert in impeachment law, holding both a doctorate in American constitutional history from Duke University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and having authored numerous impeachment-related books and articles. His main published work on the topic, The First Impeachment: The Constitution’s Framers and the Case of Senator William Blount remains the definitive account of the first episode involving Congress’s interpretation and application of the Constitution’s impeachment provisions. During the litigation following the impeachment of Judge Walter Nixon, Melton consulted with Morgan Frankel of the Senate’s Office of Legal Counsel. During President Clinton’s impeachment, Melton advised several members of Congress, including Senator Max Cleland (D-Georgia), Representative and House impeachment manager Asa Hutchinson (R-Arkansas), and Representative Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, as well as consulting with various staff members on the House Judiciary Committee and Constitution Subcommittee. Melton also provided a considerable amount of public commentary to media outlets such as NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition; PBS’s NewsHour; and various programming on MSNBC, ABC, and regional print and electronic media throughout the country. Currently Melton is writing articles on impeachment for The Atlantic. Melton is available for telephone, email, and in-person consultation regarding the legal and constitutional and historical aspects of the impeachment process.