Nixon v. Fitzgerald
Significance, The Lower Court Decisions, The Court's Decision, The President Above The Law?
Petitioner
President Richard M. Nixon
Respondent
Ernest Fitzgerald
Petitioner's Claim
That a president should not be held liable for civil damages resulting from the termination of a Pentagon employee.
Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Herbert J. Miller, Jr.
Chief Lawyer for Respondent
John E. Nolan, Jr.
Justices for the Court
Warren E. Burger, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr. (writing for the Court), William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens
Justices Dissenting
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Byron R. White
Place
Washington, D.C.
Date of Decision
24 June 1982
Decision
That a president possesses absolute immunity from civil lawsuits for actions taken in the course of his official duties.
Related Cases
- United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974).
- Butz v. Economou, 438 U.S. 478 (1978).
- Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800 (1982).
- Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681 (1997).
Additional topics
- Nollan v. California Coastal Commission - Significance, Mr. And Mrs. Nollan Build Their Dream Home, Limits On The State's Power To Take
- Nix v. Williams - Significance, Supreme Court Approves Inevitable Discovery Exception, Dissenters Feel Exclusionary Rule Is Undermined, Exclusionary Rule Offends Law And Order Supporters
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald - Significance
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald - Further Readings
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald - The Lower Court Decisions
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald - The Court's Decision
- Nixon v. Fitzgerald - The President Above The Law?
- Other Free Encyclopedias
Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1981 to 1988