United States v. Nixon

United States v. Nixon
source
Name	United States v. Nixon
Court	Supreme Court of the United States
Date	July 24, 1974
Full name	United States v. Richard Nixon, President of the United States
Citation	418 U.S. 683
Prior	Certified questions from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Holding	The President of the United States is not above the law and can be compelled to turn over evidence in a criminal investigation
Composition	Warren E. Burger, William O. Douglas, William J. Brennan Jr., Potter Stewart, Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, Lewis F. Powell Jr., William Rehnquist

United States v. Nixon was a landmark Supreme Court of the United States case that involved Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, and his administration's attempt to withhold evidence in the Watergate scandal. The case centered around Nixon's claim of executive privilege, which he argued allowed him to keep conversations with his advisors private, including those with H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and John Dean. This case was a significant test of the power of the President of the United States and the limits of executive privilege, as established by Marbury v. Madison and Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer. The case also involved key figures such as Archibald Cox, Leon Jaworski, and J. Edgar Hoover.

Background

The Watergate scandal began with the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972, which led to a wide-ranging investigation involving FBI Director L. Patrick Gray, CIA Director Richard Helms, and Attorney General John Mitchell. As the investigation unfolded, it became clear that Nixon and his advisors, including H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, were involved in a cover-up, which was revealed through the testimony of John Dean and the discovery of the White House tapes. The Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox subpoenaed the tapes, but Nixon refused to turn them over, citing executive privilege, a claim that was also made by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in earlier cases. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court of the United States, where it was argued by James D. St. Clair for Nixon and Leon Jaworski for the United States Department of Justice, with Solicitor General Robert Bork and Deputy Attorney General Laurence Silberman playing key roles.

Supreme Court decision

The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision on July 24, 1974, with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger writing the majority opinion, which was joined by William O. Douglas, William J. Brennan Jr., Potter Stewart, Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, and Lewis F. Powell Jr., while William Rehnquist recused himself due to his involvement in the Nixon administration. The court held that Nixon's claim of executive privilege was not absolute and that he must turn over the tapes to the Special Prosecutor, as required by the Fourth Amendment and the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which were also at issue in Mapp v. Ohio and Miranda v. Arizona. The decision was a significant blow to Nixon's presidency and marked a turning point in the Watergate scandal, which also involved key figures such as G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, and John Sirica. The court's decision was influenced by earlier cases such as Marbury v. Madison and Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, and has been cited in later cases such as Clinton v. Jones and Trump v. Hawaii.

Aftermath and impact

The decision in United States v. Nixon had a significant impact on the Nixon presidency and the Watergate scandal, leading to the resignation of Nixon on August 9, 1974, and the subsequent pardon by Gerald Ford, which was also the subject of controversy and investigation by the Church Committee. The case also established an important precedent for the limits of executive privilege and the power of the President of the United States, as recognized by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison in The Federalist Papers. The decision has been cited in numerous cases, including Clinton v. Jones and Trump v. Hawaii, and has been the subject of extensive commentary and analysis by scholars such as Laurence Tribe, Cass Sunstein, and Richard Posner. The case remains a significant milestone in the history of the Supreme Court of the United States and the development of Constitutional law in the United States, as recognized by the American Bar Association and the National Archives and Records Administration. The legacy of the case continues to be felt today, with ongoing debates about the limits of executive power and the role of the judiciary in checking the President of the United States, as discussed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Neil Gorsuch.