Clinton v. City of New York (1998) is a landmark case that has greatly changed the way the U.S. Constitution is viewed and interpreted. This decision established the principle of “spending power” and has had deep implications on the way the federal government conducts its business and enforces its laws.
The case originated when President Bill Clinton vetoed the Line-Item Veto Act in 1996. This law was meant to give the president additional authority to exercise a line-item veto of spending bills passed by Congress. The matter was ultimately heard by the Supreme Court in 1998 and the Justices found, in a 6-3 decision, that the Act was unconstitutional.
The decision in this case has been cited in several decisions since, including NFIB v Sebelius (2012), in which Chief Justice John Roberts relied on the language in the Clinton v. City of New York decision to support his opinion that Congress’s use of the spending clause went beyond the scope of its power. This opinion set the stage for the historic ruling that ultimately upheld the Affordable Care Act.
Today, the significance of Clinton v. City of New York (1998) continues to reverberate throughout the country. The “spending power” that was established by this decision has been cited in multiple Supreme Court cases and continues to play an important role in the understanding and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.