The House has censured Rep. Al Green. What does censure mean?
Washington — The House on Thursday voted to censure Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat who interrupted President Trump's speech before a joint session of Congress earlier in the week.
The vote was 224 to 198, with 10 Democrats joining Republicans to formally rebuke Green for his actions. Green is the fourth Democrat in two years to face the punishment from a GOP-led House, joining Adam Schiff of California, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman of New York.
What does it mean to be censured in the House of Representatives, and what effect does it have?
What is censure?
Censure, according to the House's website on the institution's history, is a formal rebuke that "registers the House's deep disapproval of member misconduct that, nevertheless, does not meet the threshold for expulsion."
Generally, a censure is a condemnation of a member's actions, statements or a combination of the two. It requires only a majority of members of the House to pass.
Upon approval by the majority, the censured lawmaker usually is forced to stand in front of the dais in the House chamber while the presiding officer reads the censure resolution aloud. Tlaib was not required to stand in the well.
A censure is viewed as more serious than a "reprimand," which is another resolution House members can bring to the floor to punish fellow members.
In Green's case, the resolution said his interruption of the president "disrupted the proceedings of the joint address and was a breach of proper conduct."
Does censure come with any punishment?
No. A censure doesn't result in the removal of a member from any committees or hamper his or her authority as a lawmaker in any way. Its main impact is the reputational damage and historical notoriety that accompanies it.
What is the history of censure in Congress?
Twenty-eight members have been censured in the history of the House, including Green, for everything from bribery to sexual misconduct with a House page. It was most common during the Civil War and Reconstruction, when 13 members were censured for offenses ranging from assault in the Capitol to insulting another member.
The recent spate of censures began in 2021, when GOP Rep. Paul Gosar was censured for posting an anime video depicting himself killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Biden.
In 2023, Democrats tried to censure Rep. George Santos, who faced a litany of federal fraud charges. The effort failed, but Santos was ultimately expelled from Congress.
The first censure ever recorded was of Rep. William Stanbery in 1832 for insulting then-House Speaker Andrew Stevenson during a floor debate. The insult? Stanbery said that the speaker's eye might be "too frequently turned from the chair you occupy toward the White House."
Only six House members have ever been expelled, a move that requires two-thirds support of the chamber.
