SCOTUS Strikes Line Item Veto Act in Clinton v. City of New York

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25, 1998, in Clinton v. City of New York that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was unconstitutional because it allowed the president to cancel individual spending items without returning the bill to Congress, violating the Presentment Clause. Justice Stevens wrote the majority opinion holding that only a constitutional amendment could give the president line-item veto authority. The ruling reinforced Congress's exclusive power to define the scope of appropriations.