Citation186 F.3d 505 (4th Cir. 1999) Brief Fact Summary. Wells worked as secretary to a DNC executive director during the Watergate scandal. A key to her desk was found in the burglars’ possession after they were arrested. Liddy, bolstered by media speculations, repeated a conspiracy theory that Nixon’s legal counsel had ordered the break-in to see whether the DNC was arranging call girls for visiting dignitaries. According to the theory, Wells’ stolen key led to a drawer of a list or photos of such call girls. Synopsis of Rule of Law. An individual is ...
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United States v. Nixon
Citation. 418 U.S. 683 (1974) Brief Fact Summary. In a District Court case, the District Court issued a subpoena duces tecum to President Nixon, ordering him to produce records of certain communications with his staff. President Nixon filed a motion asking the Court to quash the subpoena duces tecum. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Presidents do not have an inherent, absolute privilege over their confidential communications. A regulation from the Attorney General gave a Special Prosecutor the authority to contest the invocation of executive privilege while seeking e ...
Clinton v. Jones
Citation520 U.S. 681 (1997) Brief Fact Summary. Corbin Jones filed a civil lawsuit against President Clinton while he held office. The lawsuit was based on acts that occured before he was elected, and were unrelated to his official duties as president. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The doctrine of separation of powers does not require the President to be immune from civil actions arising out of his unofficial acts. ...
United States v. Nixon
Citation418 U.S. 683 (1974) Brief Fact Summary. President Nixon was requested to produce certain tape recordings and documents relating to his conversations with aides and advisers. He refused. The court rejected the President’s claims of absolute executive privilege and of lack of jurisdiction. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Court must weigh the importance of the general privilege of confidentiality of Presidential communications in performance of the President’s responsibilities against the inroads of such a privilege on the fair administrat ...
Trump v. Vance
Citation140 S. Ct. 2412 (2020) Brief Fact Summary. The President sued the district attorney to enjoin enforcement of the request to produce financial records relating to his business organizations, arguing that under the Constitution, the President enjoys the absolute immunity from state criminal process. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The President’s generalized assertion of privilege must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a pending criminal trial. ...
Nixon v. Fitzgerald
Citation457 U.S. 731 (1982) Brief Fact Summary. The plaintiff sued the former President and his claim rests on actions allegedly taken in the former President’s official capacity during his tenure in office. Synopsis of Rule of Law. An official’s absolute immunity should extend only to acts in performance of particular functions of his office. ...
Cheney v. United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Citation542 U.S. 507 (2004) Brief Fact Summary. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia required the Vice President and other senior officials in the Executive Branch to produce information about a task force established to give advice and make policy recommendations to the President. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The President cannot, through the assertion of a broad and undifferentiated need for confidentiality and the invocation of an absolute, unqualified executive privilege, withhold information in the face of disclosure orders. &nb ...
Clinton v. Jones
Citation. 520 U.S. 681, 117 S.Ct. 1636, 137 L.Ed.2d 845 (1997) Brief Fact Summary. Paula Jones sued President Clinton for making unwanted sexual advances while he was the Governor of Arkansas. President Clinton argued that the Constitution requires any litigation be deferred until his Presidency ended. Synopsis of Rule of Law. While the President is “entitled to absolute immunity from damages liability predicated on his official acts,” Nixon v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 731 (1982), the President is not immune from suit for his unofficial conduct. ...
Nixon v. United States
Citation. 506 U.S. 224, 113 S.Ct. 732, 122 L.Ed.2d 1 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. While trying Nixon for impeachment, a Senate committee received evidence and testimony from Nixon and presented their findings to the full Senate who impeached him. Nixon challenged that this process violated Article I, Section 3, clause 6 because the Senate Committee was less than the full Senate. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Framers gave the Senate the “sole” power to try impeachments. Therefore, the Court cannot overturn the Senate’s decision to appoint a committee to receive ev ...
United States v. Nixon
Citation. 418 U.S. 683, 94 S.Ct. 3090, 41 L.Ed.2d 1039 (1974) Brief Fact Summary. The Special prosecutor, appointed to investigate the Watergate Scandal, subpoenaed recordings and other documents involving meetings between President Nixon and his staff. Nixon motioned to dismiss the subpoena, citing an “absolute executive privilege” to the recordings and documents. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A generalized claim of Presidential privilege based on a “broad, undifferentiated claim of public interest” does not overcome the fair administration of justice. While the C ...
United States v. Nixon
Citation. 418 U.S. 683 (1974) Brief Fact Summary. In a District Court case relating to the Watergate scandal, President Nixon was issued a subpoena duces tecum ordering him to produce records of certain communications with his staff. President Nixon filed a motion asking the Court to quash the subpoena duces tecum. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A regulation from the Attorney General gave a Special Prosecutor the authority to contest the invocation of executive privilege while seeking evidence. The judiciary has the authority to say what the law is, as established in� ...
Nixon v. United States
Citation506 U.S. 224, 113 S.Ct. 732, 122 L.E.2d 1 (1993). Brief Fact Summary. Nixon, a former federal district court judge, was tried and convicted for federal crimes by a Senate committee. The Senate subsequently voted to impeach Nixon and remove him from his office as a district court judge. Nixon sued on the basis that he was tried only by a portion of the Senate, a select Senate committee, whereas the Constitution explicitly grants authority to the Senate as a whole to try impeachments. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A controversy is nonjusticiable where there ...
Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enterprises
CitationHarper & Row, Publrs. v. Nation Enters., 471 U.S. 539, 105 S. Ct. 2218, 85 L. Ed. 2d 588, 1985 U.S. LEXIS 17, 225 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 1073, 53 U.S.L.W. 4562, 11 Media L. Rep. 1969 (U.S. May 20, 1985) Brief Fact Summary. Nation Enterprises (Defendant) argued that its use of quotes from a yet-unpublished set of memoirs constituted fair use. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Publication of parts of a work soon to be published does not qualify as fair use. ...
Drewen v. Bank of Manhattan Co.
Citation31 N.J. 110, 155 A.2d 529, 76 A.L.R.2d 221 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1959) Brief Fact Summary. As part of a divorce agreement, Party 1 agreed not to reduce the "quality or quantify of the children's interests in his estate". In a will executed on the same day as the agreement, each child was granted about 30% of Party 1's estate. Synopsis of Rule of Law. "A promisee of a contract for the benefit of a third party donee has a sufficient interest in the enforcement of the promise to entitle him to sue for damages." ...
United States v. Nixon
Citation506 U.S. 224, 113 S. Ct. 732, 122 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. The special prosecutor, investigating a break-in of the Watergate Hotel, demanded audiotapes of conversations recorded by President of the United States Richard Nixon (President Nixon) in the Oval Office. President Nixon asserted that he was immune from such a demand on the grounds of “executive privilege.” Synopsis of Rule of Law. Neither the doctrine of separation of powers, nor the need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified, presiden ...
United States v. Nixon
Citation506 U.S. 224, 113 S. Ct. 732, 122 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. President Nixon wanted to quash a subpoena directing him to produce certain tape recordings and documents relating to his conversations with aids and advisers. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Presidential privilege is valid only to protect military, diplomatic or sensitive national security secrets. ...
Nixon v. United States
Citation506 U.S. 224, 113 S. Ct. 732, 122 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. Walter Nixon (P) was a federal judge who was impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate on bribery charges. He challenged his impeachment based on the procedures used by the Senate. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The Senate Impeachment Clause in the Constitution makes clear that “the Senate shall have sole power to try all Impeachments”. Thus, this is a political question and not reviewable by the Court. ...
Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC
Citation528 U.S. 377, 120 S. Ct. 897, 145 L. Ed. 2d 886, 2000 U.S. Brief Fact Summary. A state statue limits individual political contributions. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The danger of corruption by large dollar contributions is sufficiently plausible to satisfy heightened scrutiny of the First Amendment infringement. ...
Richard Nixon v. A. Ernest Fitzgerald
Citation457 U.S. 731, 102 S. Ct. 2690, 73 L. Ed. 2d 349, 1982 U.S. Brief Fact Summary. A cost-management expert for the Air Force was fired after he testified in front of Congress about cost overruns in certain military projects. The Defendant, the President of the United States Richard Nixon (Defendant), claimed that he made the firing decision. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The President of the United States (President) is shielded by absolute immunity from civil damages for acts done in his official capacity as President. ...
United States v. Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States
Citation506 U.S. 224, 113 S. Ct. 732, 122 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. The Plaintiff, the President of the United States Richard Nixon (Plaintiff) refused to turn over tapes of his secretly recorded conversations that had been subpoenaed to assist in the prosecution of individuals in the Watergate break-in. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Conversations between the President of the United States (the President) and his advisors are generally privileged, but that privilege is no absolute. ...
Nixon v. United States
Citation506 U.S. 224, 113 S. Ct. 732, 122 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1993) Brief Fact Summary. The Petitioner, Nixon (Petitioner), a former federal judge, asks the Supreme Court of the United States (Supreme Court) to decide whether Senate Rule XI, as applied in his impeachment trial, is constitutional. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Impeachment trials are nonjusticiable. ...
United States v. Nixon
CitationUnited States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683, 94 S. Ct. 3090, 41 L. Ed. 2d 1039, 1974 U.S. LEXIS 93 (U.S. July 24, 1974) Brief Fact Summary. The special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal subpoenaed tape recordings made of President Nixon (the “President”) discussing the scandal with some of his advisers. The President claimed executive privilege as his basis for refusing to turn over the tapes. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Although a President deserves great deference regarding his Article II constitutional privilege, that privilege is not absolute and must be balanced against other ...
United States v. R. Enterprises, Inc
CitationUNITED STATES v. R. ENTERPRISES, INC., 498 U.S. 292, 111 S. Ct. 722, 112 L. Ed. 2d 795, 1991 U.S. LEXIS 489, 59 U.S.L.W. 4077, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Service 650, 91 Daily Journal DAR 954 (U.S. Jan. 22, 1991) Brief Fact Summary. The Court of Appeals held that a three pronged standard for grand jury subpoenas should be applied in the context of a subpoena to produce certain business records of adult entertainment companies in connection with an investigation into the interstate transport of obscene material. Synopsis of Rule of Law. The standard that should be applied to motions to quash ...
Florida v. Nixon
CitationFlorida v. Nixon, 543 U.S. 175, 125 S. Ct. 551, 160 L. Ed. 2d 565, 2004 U.S. LEXIS 8270, 73 U.S.L.W. 4047, 18 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 33 (U.S. Dec. 13, 2004) Brief Fact Summary. Substantial evidence indicated respondent Nixon’s guilt. His counsel settled on a strategy of admitting guilt so as to gain a better position at sentencing. Respondent was generally unresponsive and unhelpful. Synopsis of Rule of Law. “Counsel’s failure to obtain the defendant’s express consent to a strategy of conceding guilt in a capital trial does not automatically render counsel ...