United States v. Klein

Infobox SCOTUS case
Litigants = United States v. Klein
ArgueDate =
ArgueYear =
DecideDate = December Term
DecideYear = 1871
FullName = United States v. Klein
USVol = 80
USPage = 128
Citation =
Prior =
Subsequent =
Holding = The 1870 statute was unconstitutional and Congress had exceeded its power by invading the province of the judicial branch by prescribing the rule of decision in a particular cause.
SCOTUS = 1870-1872
Majority = Chase
JoinMajority = Nelson, Clifford, Swayne, Davis, Field, Strong
Concurrence =
JoinConcurrence =
Concurrence2 =
JoinConcurrence2 =
Concurrence/Dissent =
JoinConcurrence/Dissent =
Dissent = Miller
JoinDissent = Bradley
Dissent2 =
JoinDissent2 =
LawsApplied =

"United States v. Klein", ussc|80|128|1871, was a landmark United States Supreme Court cases stemming from the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865).

Background

On December 8, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation offering a pardon to any person who had supported or fought for the Confederate Army, with full restoration of property rights, subject only to taking an oath of allegiance. The United States Congress had passed an act in 1863 that permitted an owner of property confiscated during the war to receive the proceeds from the sale of the confiscated property.

The Case

Based on the statute and the President's proclamation, V.F. Wilson took the oath of allegiance and honored it until his death on July 22, 1865. Mr. Klein, administrator of Mr. Wilson's estate, then applied, properly, to the Court of Claims to recover the proceeds of the sale of property seized from Mr. Wilson.

Congress repealed the statute in 1867. The Court of Claims, in 1869, decided that Mr. Wilson's estate was entitled to the proceeds from the sale of his property. Then, in 1870, Congress passed a law that prohibited the use of a Presidential pardon as the basis for claiming sale proceeds, and further said that acceptance of such a pardon was evidence that the person pardoned did provide support to the South and was ineligible to recover sale proceeds. The United States appealed to the Supreme Court, based on the 1870 statute, arguing that since Mr. Wilson had accepted a Presidential pardon and therefore his estate was not entitled to the sale proceeds.

The decision

In 1871, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1870 statute was unconstitutional and that Congress had exceeded its power by invading the province of the judicial branch by prescribing the rule of decision in a particular cause. The Court also ruled that Congress had impermissibly infringed the power of the executive branch by limiting the effect of a Presidential pardon.

Broadly speaking, "Klein" stands for the proposition that the legislative branch cannot impair the exclusive powers of another branch. Put another way, "Klein" recognizes and supports the fundamental value of separation of powers defined by the Constitution. Specifically, "Klein" means that Congress may not direct the outcome of a case by prescribing the rule of decision, nor may Congress impair the power and effect of a Presidential pardon. Read more broadly, "Klein" suggests, but does not state, that Congress may not use the Exceptions Clause to cripple the Court's ability to be the final arbiter of what the Constitution means.

The essence of the argument is one of separation of powers: that the Constitution vests the judicial power in the judicial branch, and that neither the legislative nor the executive branch may interfere with the functioning of the judiciary. When Congress passed a law that had the effect of prescribing the rule of decision in a particular cause, Congress "inadvertently passed the limit which separates the legislative from the judicial power." Klein, 80 U.S. at 147. As the Court says: "It is the intention of the Constitution that each of the great co-ordinate departments of the government — the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial — shall be, in its sphere, independent of the others." Id.

ee also

*List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 80

Further reading

*cite journal |last=Doidge |first=J. R. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1993 |month= |title=Is Purely Retroactive Legislation Limited by the Separation of Powers?: Rethinking "United States v. Klein" |journal=Cornell Law Review |volume=79 |issue= |pages=910 |issn=00108847 |url= |accessdate= |quote=

External links

* [http://www.justia.us/us/80/128/case.html Full text of the decision & case resources from Justia & Northwestern-Oyez]
* [http://laws.findlaw.com/us/80/128.html Full text of the decision courtesy of Findlaw.com]