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Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Line-Item Veto Case
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Feb. 27) -- The Supreme Court agreed Friday to judge the legitimacy of the line-item veto law, which gives the president the power to veto specific items in congressionally approved spending and tax bills. The court's fast-track review of a ruling earlier this month striking down the law means a decision can be expected by late June. The ruling will determine the separation of powers between Congress and the presidency. The case is set to be argued before the justices on April 27. U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan ruled the line-item veto law invalid earlier this month. The ruling was a blow to what President Bill Clinton and the Republican-led Congress believe is a key tool in fighting wasteful spending projects. The cases that produced the district court ruling were brought by the City of New York over Medicaid financing and the Snake River Potato Growers in Idaho over capital gains taxation. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled a group of senators did not have the proper standing to challenge the law since they had not themselves been injured by it. The justices did not rule on the merits of the line-item veto in that case. Clinton is the first U.S. president to have the line-item authority, with Congress passing the law in 1996. The president has used the law 82 times and if the Supreme Court upholds the law, Congress is likely to overturn 38 of those items with two-thirds majority votes in the House and Senate. The justices' decision will come while Congress is preparing the federal budget for Fiscal Year 1999 and could affect what kind of budget Congress sends to the president. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
| In Other News |
Friday Feb. 27, 1998
• Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Line-Item Veto Case |
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