United States v. Nixon
From Free net encyclopedia
- This is about the 1974 case on the powers of President Richard Nixon. For the 1993 impeachment of Judge Walter Nixon, see Nixon v. United States.
| United States v. Nixon | ||||||||
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| Image:Seal of the United States Supreme Court.png Supreme Court of the United States | ||||||||
| Argued July 8, 1974 | ||||||||
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| Holding | ||||||||
| The Supreme Court has the final voice in determining constitutional questions; no person, not even the President of the United States, is completely above law; and the president cannot use executive privilege as an excuse to withhold evidence that is 'demonstrably relevant in a criminal trial.' | ||||||||
| Court membership | ||||||||
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| Case opinions | ||||||||
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| Laws applied |
United States v. Nixon, Template:Ussc, was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision involving President Richard Nixon and important to the late stages of the Watergate scandal. It is considered a crucial precedent limiting the power of any U.S. president.
Contents |
Opinion
- Written by: Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger
Associate (later Chief) Justice William Rehnquist recused himself, and did not participate in the trial.
The case
Archibald Cox, as special prosecutor investigating the Watergate case, obtained a subpoena for audiotapes of Nixon and his staff. Cox's successor, Leon Jaworski subsequently pursued that subpoena, and Nixon refused access to the tapes and as justification claimed their confidentiality was protected by executive privilege. Jaworski sought further court orders, and the Supreme Court accepted the case. The White House stated that Nixon would abide by "a definitive order" by the court.
Memoirs of those privy to the justices' deliberations eventually described unusual circumstances: that the majority held the subpoena to be enforceable; that a minority of justices disagreed, but were concerned that a split decision might be claimed by Nixon to fall short of being "definitive" and thus increase the possibility of his defying the court's authority, and that in practice the political dangers of such defiance were unacceptable; and the justices agreed upon a unanimous decision despite the diversity of their actual views, in order to reduce the likelihood of such a "constitutional crisis".
The unanimous decision held that the Supreme Court has not only the power established in Marbury vs. Madison to rule a law invalid for conflicting with constitutional provisions, but also power to decide how the Constitution limits the President's powers; that the Constitution provides for laws enforceable on a president; and that executive privilege does not apply to "demonstrably relevant" evidence in criminal cases
Quotes
- "The President wants me to argue that he is as powerful a monarch as Louis XIV, only four years at a time, and is not subject to the processes of any court in the land except the court of impeachment." — James D. St. Clair, Richard Nixon's counsel, arguing before the Supreme Court
- "Neither the doctrine of separation of powers, nor the need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified Presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances. The President's need for complete candor and objectivity from advisors calls for great deference from the courts. However, when the privilege depends solely on the broad, undifferentiated claim of public interest in the confidentiality of such conversations, a confrontation with other values arises."—Chief Justice Warren Burger
See also
Template:SCOTUS-case-stub United States v. Nixon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. Please discuss this issue on the talk page, or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available. This article has been tagged since October 2005.
This is about the 1974 case on the powers of President Richard Nixon. For the 1993 impeachment of Judge Walter Nixon, see Nixon v. United States.
United States v. Nixon
Supreme Court of the United States Argued July 8, 1974
Decided July 24, 1974 Full case name: United States of America v. Nixon Citations: 418 U.S. 683; 94 S. Ct. 3090; 41 L.Ed.2d 1039; 1974 U.S. LEXIS 159 Prior history: Subsequent history: Holding The Supreme Court has the final voice in determining constitutional questions; no person, not even the President of the United States, is completely above law; and the president cannot use executive privilege as an excuse to withhold evidence that is 'demonstrably relevant in a criminal trial.' Court membership Chief Justice: Warren Earl Burger Associate Justices: William O. Douglas, William Joseph Brennan, Potter Stewart, Byron Raymond White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Andrew Blackmun, Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr., William Hubbs Rehnquist Case opinions Majority by: Burger Joined by: Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall, Blackmun, Powell Recused: Rehnquist Laws applied
United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974), was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision involving President Richard Nixon and important to the late stages of the Watergate scandal. It is considered a crucial precedent limiting the power of any U.S. president. Contents [hide]
* 1 Opinion * 2 The case * 3 Quotes * 4 See also
[edit]
Opinion
* Written by: Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger
* Joined by: Justices William O. Douglas, William J. Brennan, Potter Stewart, Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun and Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr.
Associate (later Chief) Justice William Rehnquist recused himself, and did not participate in the trial. [edit]
The case
Archibald Cox, as special prosecutor investigating the Watergate case, obtained a subpoena for audiotapes of Nixon and his staff. Cox's successor, Leon Jaworski subsequently pursued that subpoena, and Nixon refused access to the tapes and as justification claimed their confidentiality was protected by executive privilege. Jaworski sought further court orders, and the Supreme Court accepted the case. The White House stated that Nixon would abide by "a definitive order" by the court.
Memoirs of those privy to the justices' deliberations eventually described unusual circumstances: that the majority held the subpoena to be enforceable; that a minority of justices disagreed, but were concerned that a split decision might be claimed by Nixon to fall short of being "definitive" and thus increase the possibility of his defying the court's authority, and that in practice the political dangers of such defiance were unacceptable; and the justices agreed upon a unanimous decision despite the diversity of their actual views, in order to reduce the likelihood of such a "constitutional crisis".
The unanimous decision held that the Supreme Court has not only the power established in Marbury vs. Madison to rule a law invalid for conflicting with constitutional provisions, but also power to decide how the Constitution limits the President's powers; that the Constitution provides for laws enforceable on a president; and that executive privilege does not apply to "demonstrably relevant" evidence in criminal cases [edit]
Quotes
* "The President wants me to argue that he is as powerful a monarch as Louis XIV, only four years at a time, and is not subject to the processes of any court in the land except the court of impeachment." — James D. St. Clair, Richard Nixon's counsel, arguing before the Supreme Court
* "Neither the doctrine of separation of powers, nor the need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified Presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances. The President's need for complete candor and objectivity from advisors calls for great deference from the courts. However, when the privilege depends solely on the broad, undifferentiated claim of public interest in the confidentiality of such conversations, a confrontation with other values arises."—Chief Justice Warren Burger
[edit]
See also
* Richard Nixon * Saturday night massacre * Watergate scandal
This article related to a U.S. Supreme Court case is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Nixon"
Categories: Cleanup from October 2005 | U.S. Supreme Court stubs | 1974 in law | Court cases litigated by the American Civil Liberties Union | Richard Nixon | United States Supreme Court cases | United States separation of powers case law | Watergate Views
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