A Political and Constitutional Review of United States v. Nixon

Authors

William W. Van Alstyne, Duke Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1974

Keywords

Nixon, United States v. Nixon, Watergate, impeachment, Pentagon Papers, executive power, executive privilege, judicial review, Supreme Court

Abstract

This comparison of United States v. Nixon and the Pentagon Papers case finds the greatest similarity and significance shared by the two cases was the anti-climactic nature of their conclusions. While both cases concerned constitutional questions of the highest order, centered around the scope of the executive power, both cases were drawn on such narrow grounds that there was hardly any effect on constitutional law doctrine.

Citation

William W. Van Alstyne, A Political and Constitutional Review of United States v. Nixon, 22 UCLA Law Review 116-140 (1974)