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Unilateral Executive Power Enshrined In Law: The Zivotofsky Court Stays The Course, Kimberley L. Fletcher

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Zivotofsky v. Kerry (2015) is the most recent challenge to presidential prerogatives, and while the Supreme Court addresses the erroneous mistake espoused by Justice Sutherland in 1936, the Court ultimately fails to harness the unbridled powers of the Executive in the area of foreign affairs. The Court establishes a new standard for presidential ascendancy, which leaves the imperial president largely intact. This Article shows that a dynamic and fluid institutional relationship exists between the executive branch and the Court; the Court affects constitutional and political development by taking a leading role in interpreting presidential decision-making in the area of foreign …