Number: 98-690 Title: LINE ITEM VETO ACT UNCONSTITUTIONAL: CLINTON V. CITY OF NEW YORK Authors: Thomas J. Nicola, American Law Division Abstract: On June 25, 1998, the United States Supreme Court in Clinton, et al. v. City of New York, et al., held that the Line Item Veto Act violated the Presentment Clause of the Constitution. The Clause requires that every bill which has passed the House and Senate before becoming law must be presented to the President for approval or veto, but is silent on whether the President may amend or repeal provisions of bills that have passed the House and Senate in identical form. The Court interpreted silence on this issue as equivalent to an express prohibition. Pages: 6 Date: Updated August 18, 1998