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Supreme Court of the United States - 520 U.S. 681, 117 S.Ct. 1636, 520 U.S. 681, 137 L. Ed. 2d 945, 117 S. Ct. 1636, 1997 U.S. LEXIS 3254, SCDB 1996-059
Tags: Constitutional Law, Executive
The case involves Paula Corbin Jones suing President William Jefferson Clinton for alleged sexual advances and defamation. The President argued for immunity from litigation until his term ends, but the majority opinion allowed the case to proceed. The District Judge denied the motion to dismiss based on Presidential immunity and allowed discovery to proceed, but postponed the trial until the end of the petitioner's Presidency. The Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of the motion to dismiss but reversed the postponement of the trial, stating that the President is not immune from private actions for damages arising from personal, private conduct. The Supreme Court granted the petition, rejecting the immunity claim and allowing the case to proceed. The President is subject to the law for both private and public conduct, and the Federal Judiciary has the authority to decide cases related to the unofficial conduct of the President. The separation of powers requires interdependence and overlapping responsibility between the branches, and the President is subject to judicial process in appropriate circumstances.
The concept of Presidential immunity from private conduct civil lawsuits is not absolute, and courts must consider the principle of noninterference with the President's public duties when scheduling a trial. It is vital for the President's official inviolability in civil cases to enable them to perform their duties without hindrance. Lower courts can implement the principle of noninterference directly or categorically through the use of rules of administration or presumptions. Private civil damages lawsuits against a sitting President are rare and can be managed by the court's discretion and the threat of sanctions.
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