Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/524bv.pdf
Page Number: 529.0

524US2

Unit: $U93

[09-11-00 13:25:42] PAGES PGT: OPIN

484

CLINTON v. CITY OF NEW YORK

Breyer, J., dissenting

Trucking Assns., Inc. v. United States, 344 U. S. 298 (1953)
(delegation of rulemaking authority); Lichter v. United
States, 334 U. S. 742 (1948) (delegation to determine and
regulate “excessive” proﬁts); Crowell v. Benson, 285 U. S.
22 (1932) (delegation of adjudicatory authority); Commodity
Futures Trading Comm’n v. Schor, 478 U. S. 833 (1986)
(same).

C

The “nondelegation” doctrine represents an added consti-
tutional check upon Congress’ authority to delegate power
to the Executive Branch. And it raises a more serious con-
stitutional obstacle here. The Constitution permits Con-
gress to “see[k] assistance from another branch” of Govern-
ment, the “extent and character” of that assistance to be
ﬁxed “according to common sense and the inherent neces-
sities of the governmental co-ordination.” J. W. Hampton,
supra, at 406. But there are limits on the way in which
Congress can obtain such assistance; it “cannot delegate any
part of its legislative power except under the limitation of
a prescribed standard.” United States v. Chicago, M., St. P.
& P. R. Co., 282 U. S. 311, 324 (1931). Or, in Chief Justice
Taft’s more familiar words, the Constitution permits only
those delegations where Congress “shall lay down by legisla-
tive act an intelligible principle to which the person or body
authorized to [act] is directed to conform.” J. W. Hampton,
supra, at 409 (emphasis added).

The Act before us seeks to create such a principle in three
ways. The ﬁrst is procedural. The Act tells the President
that, in “identifying dollar amounts [or] . . . items.
. . for
cancellation” (which I take to refer to his selection of the
amounts or items he will “prevent from having legal force or
effect”), he is to “consider,” among other things,

“the legislative history, construction, and purposes of
the law which contains [those amounts or items, and]
. any speciﬁc sources of information referenced in
.

.