Legal Term: ADDRESS

Definition: legislation. In Pennsylvania it is a resolution of both, branches of the legislature, two-thirds of each house concurring, requesting the governor to remove a judge from office. The constitution of that state, art. 5, s. 2, directs that " for any reasonable cause, which shall not be, ground for impeachment, the governor may remove any of them [the judges], on the address of two-third"s of each branch of the legislature." The mode of removal by address is unknown to the constitution of the, United States, but it is recognized in several of the states. In some of the state constitutions the language is imperative, the governor when thus add ressed shall remove, in others it is left to his discretion, he may remove. The relative proportion of each house that must join in the address, varies also in different states. In some a bare majority is sufficient, in others, two-thirds are requisite, and in others three-fourths. 1 Journ. of Law, 154.

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