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Page Number: 46

2 

TRUMP v. VANCE 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

tion is whether the Constitution restrains any other prose-
cutorial or investigative weapons. 

These are important questions that go to the very struc-
ture  of  the  Government  created  by  the  Constitution.    In 
evaluating  these  questions,  two  important  structural  fea-
tures must be taken into account. 

I 
A 

The  first  is  the  nature  and  role  of  the  Presidency.    The 
Presidency, like Congress and the Supreme Court, is a per-
manent institution created by the Constitution.  All three 
of  these  institutions  are  distinct  from  the  human  beings 
who serve in them at any point in time.  In the case of Con-
gress or the Supreme Court, the distinction is easy to per-
ceive,  since  they  have  multiple  Members.    But  because 
“[t]he  President  is  the  only  person  who  alone  composes  a 
branch of government . . . , there is not always a clear line
between his personal and official affairs.”  Trump v. Mazars 
USA, LLP, post, at 17.  As a result, the law’s treatment of 
the person who serves as President can have an important 
effect  on  the  institution,  and  the  institution  of  the  Presi-
dency plays an indispensable role in our constitutional sys-
tem. 

The Constitution entrusts the President with responsibil-
ities  that  are  essential  to  the  country’s  safety  and  well-
being.  The President is Commander in Chief of the Armed 
Forces.  Art. II, §2, cl. 1.  He is responsible for the defense
of the country from the moment he enters office until the 
moment he leaves. 

The President also has the lead role in foreign relations. 
He  “make[s]”  treaties  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the 
Senate,  Art. II,  §2,  cl. 2,  decides whether  to  recognize  for-
eign governments, Zivotofsky v. Kerry, 576 U. S. 1 (2015),
enters  into  and  rescinds  executive  agreements  with  other