Which U.S. Supreme Court case invalidated the line-item veto?

Which U.S. Supreme Court case invalidated the line-item veto? Clinton v. City of New York.

In Clinton v. City of New York, decided June 25, 1998, the Supreme Court struck down the federal Line Item Veto Act of 1996. The statute allowed the President to cancel selected spending items, new direct spending, and limited tax benefits after signing a bill. By a 6–3 vote, the Court held that this procedure violated Article I’s Presentment Clause and separation of powers.

The majority reasoned that the President cannot unilaterally amend or repeal part of a law that Congress passed and the President signed. The Constitution provides a specific process for lawmaking: both houses must approve the same text, and the President must sign it or veto the entire bill, subject to congressional override. Selective cancellation created a different law without that process.

The ruling is often confused with INS v. Chadha, which invalidated the legislative veto, not the presidential line-item veto. Youngstown Sheet & Tube v. Sawyer concerned presidential seizure of steel mills, while United States v. Curtiss-Wright addressed executive authority in foreign affairs. Congress later pursued other budget-control mechanisms, but the original federal line-item veto statute remained invalid.