Home > Great American Court Cases > Schlesinger v. Holtzman

Legal Citation: 414 U.S. 1321 (1973)

Petitioner
James Schlesinger, Secretary of Defense

Respondent
Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman (D-NY) and several Air Force officers

Petitioner's Claim
That without decisive opposition by Congress the president has constitutional authority to conduct air combat over Cambodia.

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger (writing for the Court), Thurgood Marshall, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
William O. Douglas

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
4 August 1973

Decision
Upheld the U.S. claim and affirmed a court of appeals decision by reversing Justice Douglas's decision to temporarily halt U.S. bombing in Cambodia.

Significance
The ruling...