Well a Dem senator who has already called to convict Trump will now preside over the trial instead of the chief justice.
According to Newsweek's experts,
The Constitution requires the involvement of the chief justice only when the president is on trial. Since Trump no longer is president, there is no requirement for the chief justice to be involved.
In 2010, when former federal Judge Thomas Porteous was impeached, Senate President Pro Tempore Daniel Inouye presided over the trial.
The article goes on to say he might not even have been asked.
I dunno, seems like splitting hairs to me and that Roberts should do it. Just because T**** is no longer President, he WAS when he was impeached, so it is still a Presidential impeachment trial. It does seem they could do better than have a senator preside from the same party bringing the impeachment. Hopefully, Leahy will be impartial, but you know it is going to cause endless whining and screeching.
I guess we're going to have to live with it.
Donald Trump's first impeachment trial, which concluded in early 2020, was presided over by Chief Justice John Roberts. Trump's unprecedented second impeachment trial will be presided over by Patrick Leahy (D- Vt.), the Senate President pro tempore.
www.newsweek.com