Nixon v. Fitzgerald
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| Nixon v. Fitzgerald | ||||||||||||
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| Argued November 30, 1981 Decided June 24, 1982 |
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| Holding | ||||||||||||
| The President is entitled to absolute immunity from liability for damages based on his official acts. | ||||||||||||
| Court membership | ||||||||||||
| Chief Justice: Warren E. Burger Associate Justices: William J. Brennan, Jr., Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor |
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| Case opinions | ||||||||||||
| Majority by: Powell Joined by: Burger, Rehnquist, Stevens, O'Connor Concurrence by: Burger Dissent by: White Joined by: Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun Dissent by: Blackmun Joined by: Brennan, Marshall |
Nixon v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 731 (1982),[1] was a Supreme Court of the United States court case that dealt with immunity from suit to government officials performing discretionary functions when their action did not violate clearly established law.
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[edit] Background
A. Ernest Fitzgerald filed a law suit against government officials claiming that he lost his position as a contractor with the United States Air Force because of testimony made before Congress in the 1970's. Among the people listed in the law suit was former President Richard Nixon. Nixon argued that a President cannot be sued for actions taken while in office. The trial and appellate court rejected the President's claim of immunity and the case went to the Supreme Court.
[edit] Opinion
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the President is entitled to absolute immunity from liability for damages based on his official acts.
