Under the direction of President John Adams, the Congress passed the Sedition Act of 1798, which made it a criminal offence to publish statements critical of the federal government. The first individual to be tried under the law was Rep. Matthew Lyon, who unsurprisingly had voted against its passage. Lyon was re-elected from jail.
By a vote of 96-3, Ford was easily confirmed. Click to learn who the three dissenting votes were.
The Senate's attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act narrowly failed due to a surprise defection by Sen. John McCain
President Clinton was acquited of obstruction of justice charges in his impeachment trial, a two-thirds majority vote having been necessary to convict.
Although President Johnson had earlier admitted the former Confederate States of America, Congress refused to seat their congressional delegations until passing HR1058 along party lines.
