Clinton v. City of New York - Significance, The Line Item Veto, Presentment Clause Violated, Old Power Under New Name?, Impact

Clinton v. City of New York - Further Readings

Clinton v. City of New York - Significance

The decision recognized the limits of Congress in delegating its legislative powers to the president and maintained a traditional separation of power between the two branches of government. The Court asserted that Congress could alter the president's role in determining the final text of a law only by constitutional amendment. No constitutional provisions otherwise exist for presidents to enact, r…

Clinton v. City of New York - The Line Item Veto

The line-item veto issue came to the political forefront during the 1980s as the national deficit dramatically rose. President Ronald Reagan's administration contended the problem was not due to his tax cuts or defense buildup, but rather Congress' large domestic spending programs under Democratic leadership. The Republicans identified the line-item veto as a key issue in their 1994 "Contract With…

Clinton v. City of New York - Presentment Clause Violated

None of the parties disputed before the Court that the New York spending item was not an "item of new direct spending" or the other not a "limited tax benefit." Both qualified for potential elimination under the Line Item Veto Act. The issue was clearly the new presidential authority itself. By a 6-3 vote the Court affirmed the district court's decision. Justice Stevens, writing for the majority, …

Clinton v. City of New York - Old Power Under New Name?

Justice Breyer, joined in dissent by Justice O'Connor and Justice Scalia, wrote, "In my view the Line Item Veto Act does not violate any specific textual constitutional command, nor does it violate any implicit Separation of Powers principle. Consequently, I believe that the Act is constitutional." Breyer, acknowledging that the functioning of the three branches of government with one another is a…

Clinton v. City of New York - Impact

The Court ruled that a president holds no constitutional power to sign into law a bill different from the one sent to him by Congress. Though some supporters of the line-item veto vowed to pursue its acceptance, many became disillusioned after seeing how ineffective it appeared to be in practice. Sparingly using the new authority, Clinton reduced the 1997 budget less than one-tenth of one percent.…

Clinton v. City of New York - The Line-item Veto