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Judicial Power & Separation of Powers
Clinton v. City of New York
Decided: 1998
In brief
Struck down the line-item veto as an unconstitutional expansion of presidential power.
The Court's ruling in depth
The Line Item Veto Act let the President cancel specific spending items after signing a bill. The Court held this violated the Presentment Clause, which permits only whole-bill signature or veto. Reforming the bloated federal budget by giving the President scalpel-like veto authority, the majority concluded, requires a constitutional amendment — not a statute.