Nixon vs The United States of America

The United States of America vs. Richard M. Nixon

Issue
In this case, the court is asked to decide if the president had knowledge\involvement in the Watergate robberies and if he had the right to invoke Executive Privilege.
Facts
During the campaign of President Nixon's second term, a group of burglars working for the committee to re-elect the President broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate office-apartment complex in Washington DC, apparently in search of political intelligence. Attempts by the White House to stop or frustrate the ensuing investigations ultimately failed when Nixon's own White House tape recordings revealed that the president and his assistants had engaged in an obstruction of justice.
Following the arrest of the two co-plotters--G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt-- District Court Judge John J. Sirica was convinced that pertinent details had not been unveiled during the trial and proffered leniency in exchange for further information. It became increasingly evident that the Watergate burglars were tied closely to the CIA and the Committee to Re-elect the President, some of Nixon's aides began talking to federal prosecutors. Due to the defection of these aides, the Senate established, in February of 1973, an investigative committee held by Senator Sam Ervin, Jr., to look into the growing scandal. Amid the disclosures of White House involvement in the Watergate break-in and its aftermath, Nixon announced the resignation of two of his closest advisors and the dismissal of his counsel John W. Dean III. Dean told the Ervin committee in June that Nixon had known of the cover-up. A month later, former White House staff member Alexander Butterfield revealed that Nixon had secretly tape-recorded conversations in his offices. The special prosecutor Cox, and the Ervin committee attempted to obtain such tapes but the president cited Executive Privilege, and refused to relinquish them and attempted to have Cox fired. This attempt failed and as a result on Oct. 20, 1973, Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson resigned in protest. His deputy also refused and was fired. Nixon's solicitor general, who was nest in command fired Cox. This night is now known as the "Saturday Night Massacre" and heightened suspicions that Nixon had much to hide.
On Nov. 1 Leon Jaworski replaced Cox but continued to press for the tapes and on Mar. 1 1974, a federal jury indicted 7 men for conspiracy to obstruct justice. On April 30 the president released edited transcripts--containing suspicious gaps of Watergate related Oval Office conversations. Not satisfied Judge Sirica subpoenaed additional tapes, but Nixon refused and the case moved to the Supreme Court.
Decision
On July 24, the Supreme Court justices ruled in a unanimous 8-0 vote against him.
Reasoning
The court conceded that a president could withhold national security material but insisted that Watergate was a criminal matter. On July 27-30, the House Judiciary Committee recommended that Nixon be impeached on three charges: obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential power, and trying to impede the impeachment process by defying committee subpoenas but rejected the charges of unauthorized, secret bombing of Cambodia in 1969 and his use of public funds to improve his private property. After this decision, a beleaguered President released three tapes to the public on August 5, 1974; one revealing that he had attempted to thwart the FBI's inquiry into the Watergate burglary. It proved that Nixon had been a large part in the cover-up from its beginnings. With this new evidence and the remaining congressional support for the president crushed, Richard Nixon became the first President to resign.
criminal matter. On July 27-30, the House Judiciary Committee recommended that Nixon be impeached on three charges: obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential power, and trying to impede the impeachment process by defying committee subpoenas but rejected the charges of unauthorized, secret bombing of Cambodia in 1969 and his use of public funds to improve his private property. After this decision, a beleaguered President released three tapes to the public on August 5, 1974; one revealing that he had attempted to thwart the FBI's inquiry into the Watergate burglary. It proved that Nixon had been a large part in the cover-up from its beginnings. With this new evidence and the remaining congressional support for the president crushed, Richard Nixon became the first President to resign.