Quimbee logo
DMCA.com Protection Status
From our private database of 15,900+ case briefs...

Public Citizen v. United States Department of Justice

United States Supreme Court
491 U.S. 440 (1989)

Facts

For years, the President of the United States provided the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary with the names of potential nominees for appointment as federal judges. Upon reviewing a nominee’s record, the ABA issued a recommendation regarding the nominee’s qualifications. Such recommendations were perceived as highly influential in the judicial appointment process. The committee did not consider itself subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which imposes limitations on the executive branch’s use of advice of committees that include private persons. When the committee refused to allow Public Citizen (plaintiff), a public interest lobbying group, to attend its meetings, Public Citizen sued the United States Department of Justice, among others (defendants). The case came before the United States Supreme Court.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Brennan, J.)

Concurrence (Kennedy, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 97,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 344,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 15,900 briefs, keyed to 219 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Here's why 344,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 15,900 briefs - keyed to 219 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Top-notch customer support.