The second impeachment trial against former President Donald J. Trump begins Tuesday, about a month after he was indicted by the House of Representatives for rioting over his role in fighting a violent mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Here’s what you need to know.

Senate Democrats and Republicans, along with House impeachment executives and Mr Trump’s legal team, reached a bipartisan agreement on Monday that aims to pave the way for a particularly fast and efficient process that could be completed early next week.

The rules allow each side up to 16 hours to present their case. The Senate stands ready to vote to approve the rules and officially begin the process on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Up to four hours are spent debating the constitutionality of the indictment against a president who is no longer in office. When a simple majority of the senators agree to go ahead as expected, the main part of the process begins.

As of Wednesday, prosecutors and defense have 16 hours each to present their cases to the senators, who act as the jury. The oral presentations will continue at least until Friday, but could extend into the next week.

Tradition dictates that senators then have at least one day to ask questions. This time, senators can give property managers the opportunity to force a debate and vote on calling witnesses. However, it is unclear whether they will choose to do this. The process is expected to end with final arguments and a final vote on Mr Trump’s conviction.

The Trump impeachment ›

What you need to know

    • A court case will determine whether former President Donald J. Trump is guilty of instigating a deadly crowd of his supporters when they stormed the Capitol on January 6, violently violated security measures, and went into hiding when they met to certify President Biden’s victory.
    • Parliament voted 232 votes to 197 in favor of a single impeachment trial, accusing Mr. Trump of “inciting violence against the United States government” in order to dismiss the election results. Ten Republicans voted against him alongside the Democrats.
    • To convict Mr. Trump, the Senate would need a two-thirds majority to approve. This means that at least 17 Republican senators would have to vote with Senate Democrats to convict.
    • A conviction seems unlikely. Last month, only five Senate Republicans sided with the Democrats in repelling a Republican attempt to dismiss the charges because Mr Trump is no longer in office. On the eve of the start of the trial, 28 senators said they weren’t sure to convict Mr Trump.
    • If the Senate convicts Mr. Trump and finds him guilty of “inciting violence against the United States government,” the Senators could vote on whether to expel him from office. This vote would only require a simple majority, and when it came to party lines, the Democrats would prevail if Vice President Kamala Harris casts the casting vote.
    • If the Senate doesn’t condemn Mr Trump, the former president could run for office again. Public opinion polls show he remains by far the most popular national figure in the Republican Party.

In a fast-paced and cinematic case, property managers will argue before the Senate that Mr. Trump is guilty of causing a lethal crowd of his supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Prosecutors plan to show videos taken of the crowd, Mr. Trump’s unvarnished words, and criminal pleas from rioters who said they were acting at the orders of the former president. In an attempt to rekindle outrage over the attack that submerged lawmakers when they met to confirm President Biden’s victory, the property managers are seeking a conviction and preventing Mr Trump from holding office again .

“We think every American should know what happened,” Maryland Democrat Representative Jamie Raskin said in an interview. “The reason he was charged by the House of Representatives and why he should be convicted and expelled from the future federal office is to make sure that such an attack on our democracy and constitution never happens again.”

In a 78-page brief filed on Monday, Mr Trump’s attorneys argued that impeachment proceedings were unconstitutional because Congress had no basis on which to judge a former president. No past president has ever been charged, but the trial is not without precedent: the Senate tried a war minister on trial in the 1870s after he resigned.

On Friday, more than 140 constitutional attorneys targeted the argument put forward by Mr. Trump’s attorneys, calling it “legally frivolous”. However, it could still give Republican senators political protection to dismiss charges on a technical issue without forcing them to focus on Mr Trump’s conduct.

Whatever disputes play out during the week, few expect enough Senate Republicans to vote differently than in Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial.

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said this on Sunday and suggested on the CBS Face the Nation program that the outcome of the trial was “really not in doubt”.

When the Senate voted to acquit Mr. Trump last year, Utah Senator Mitt Romney was the only Republican to join the Democrats in condemnation.

This time he may not be alone.

Several other Republicans, including Senators Ben Sasse from Nebraska, Patrick J. Toomey from Pennsylvania and Susan Collins from Maine, said they had serious concerns about Mr. Trump’s role in inciting violence.

Less than two weeks ago, 45 Republicans voted to dismiss the entire impeachment process as unconstitutional, strongly suggesting that the 67-vote threshold required for conviction – or two-thirds of the chamber – may be out of reach.

The New York Times Convention team will follow developments on Capitol Hill. Visit nytimes.com for full week coverage.

The process is also streamed online from C-SPAN and televised by major networks such as CNN and PBS.

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