Rep. Al Green Was Censured in the House, but What Does That Mean for Him?

Although Democrats protested Donald Trump's first State of the Union in a variety of ways, the most notable protest came from Texas Rep. Al Green, who heckled the president early on in his remarks and was then escorted out of the chamber. Following Green's heckling, the House voted to censure him, with 10 Democrats and all Republicans voting in favor of the measure.

The news that Green had been censured led some to wonder what that punishment actually means, and why the House had done it. Here's what we know.

A censure is a formal rebuke of a member of the House from their colleagues. The only punishment is that the member must stand in the House dais while the resolution is read. There is no other punishment associated with the vote, but it is designed to damage the legacy and reputation of the person who is censured. It's essentially like the House version of a demerit, but it doesn't lead to losing your seat or any other punishment.

That means that Al Green will retain his seat, and it also means that he could heckle Trump at future State of the Unions if he so desired.

Censure has, historically, been used fairly rarely, but in recent years it's become more common, in part because of the incredibly partisan nature of the House chamber. Republicans have used it to censure their colleagues more often than Democrats, which speaks to the general position of each party toward the other.

Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced the measure to censure Green, saying that it was a difficult decision for him.

"We cannot ignore the willful disruption intended to stop a proceeding," Newhouse said, per CBS News. "Without decorum, without respect, what do we got? What do we have, truly?"

Decorum has always been core to how the House sees itself, although that decorum has been rocked by Donald Trump and his frequent vulgarity.

After Green was kicked out, Trump referred to Elizabeth Warren, a sitting U.S. senator, as Pocahontas. He has yet to be brought up for a censure vote.

"This is truly a wakeup call for this chamber," Newhouse added. "The lack of decorum has reached a new low. When the president of the United States cannot even come into our chamber invited and complete his speech without the interaction that we saw last night, we have to take this action of censure."

Although Green clearly values his relationship with his colleagues, it's clear that he felt speaking out against Trump to be his chief duty in that moment. The heckling likely had at least part of its intended effect. It encouraged people to look at Trump as an aberration instead of the norm, and suggested to viewers that there was something abnormal about the speech.

Green's censure may be a mark on his record, but odds are that if you asked him whether he would heckle Trump the same way again, the answer would be a resounding yes.