Question: when was the line item veto ruled unconstitutional
Answer: 417 ( 1998 ) , is a legal case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the line - item veto as granted in the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 violated the Presentment Clause of the United States Constitution because it impermissibly gave the President of the United States the power to unilaterally amend or repeal parts of statutes that had been duly passed by the United States Congress .