I've never practiced criminal law, federal or state. I was thinking of state indictments, and I assumed that the end of the process was a formal court document...in other words, a document endorsed by the court system that will try the case, not merely a charging document prepared by the prosecutor. It seems to me that the House impeachment vote is merely a "charging document" unless and until it is filed with the Senate, at which time it becomes an impeachment, and therefore more analogous to an indictment or filed charges. But, we may be taking this analogy too far afield. You still haven't answered Baron's question.
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