Contributing writer

Law School Prof. Tom Campbell has more than an academic interest in the impeachment trial starting today. As the United States Congressman representing California's 15th District, Campbell, a Republican, recently voted to impeach President Clinton.

"It was not what I wanted to do," said Campbell, who voted to impeach on two of four counts, "[but] I cast a vote that I believed was right."

Reflecting on his role in the historic event, Campbell called the Dec. 19 vote "the second most difficult vote I've ever cast and probably will." The hardest vote, in his view, was to approve the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

Campbell characterized Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives as "sad, sorry and disappointing."

Campbell said the evidence for the first article of impeachment was serious enough to undermine his confidence in Clinton's ability to lead the nation. This article alleged that Clinton committed perjury in his August 17 grand jury testimony.

"[Clinton's] failure to tell the truth diminishes his ability to serve as president," he said.

All but four of Campbell's Republican colleagues in the House voted to impeach the president. Regarding concerns that the impeachment process reflected partisan interests, Campbell responded, "I voted what was right. And I won't dispute that others did too."

Campbell stated that he was not influenced by House Republican leadership to vote for the impeachment. The Republicans had a policy against pressuring any members, according to Campbell.

However, Campbell revealed, he was contacted several times by representatives of the White House asking him to vote against impeachment. He was called by two cabinet members, once when he was in Africa, and also by celebrities such as Robert DeNiro and Steve Jobs.

"I know the White House was trying to put pressure on me," he said.

Campbell received letters, e-mails and phone calls throughout December from his constituency in District 15, indicating that 45 percent were in favor of impeachment and 55 percent were against.

He estimates District 15, including parts of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, to be 45 percent Democratic and 40 percent Republican.

Although Campbell declined to speculate on the outcome of the Senate's impeachment proceedings, he said he hopes "the Senate does the best by their best judgement, as we did by ours. I'm happy to have it behind me.

Currently, Campbell is teaching a seminar on antitrust law for the Law School's interim session. He agreed to teach the class in place of Law Prof. William Baxter, who died recently of emphysema.

"He's a fabulous teacher," said Law School Dean Paul Brest. "He has always been willing to be actively involved in the Law School."

This remained true even as Campbell won his first Congressional seat in 1989. After a brief stint in the California State Senate from 1993 to 1995, Campbell was re-elected to the House.

"He's someone who knows about the legislature inside and out," said Law School Prof. Robert Weisberg, vice provost for faculty relations. "But when he comes back to campus he can talk about it with an academic detachment."

Campbell joined the Stanford faculty in 1983, after earning his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago and his law degree from Harvard University. After working as a lawyer and for the federal government, he jumped at the chance to teach at Stanford.

Campbell has remained an active faculty member, teaching at the Stanford-in-Washington program for several years and occasionally commuting across the country to teach on campus.

Campbell emphasized the differences between life at Stanford and life in the Capitol. At Stanford, he said, "the system is conducive to thought and intense focus on one or two subjects." In Washington, however, "there are one hundred issues. The obvious trade-off is the depth. One must make a decision and move along to the next subject."