On June 17, 1972, several months before President Nixon was reelected, burglars had broken into the Democratic National Committee offices in Washington, D.C. These burglars were traced back to the White House. This seemed like Nixon's aides were trying to spy on the Democrats. However President Nixon said he didn't know anything about the Watergate break-in.
Law enforcement agents continued to investigate the case, which led them back to Nixon’s chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman in 1973. Later that year a white house aid revealed that Nixon secretly taped conversations in his office. The Senate committee that was investigating the Watergate scandal wanted to hear these recorded tapes. However, Nixon refused to hand them over, claiming that they …show more content…
The Supreme Court had to weigh the executive privilege against the rights of citizens to have a speedy and fair trial and to have the right to face their accusers. It was decided by the Court that the President is not a normal citizen, and therefore should receive great respect regarding executive claims of privilege. However, it was decided that executive privilege is not absolute and must be balanced against the right of the accused in criminal proceedings.
The Chief Justice that ruled over the Nixon vs. United States case was Warren E. Burger. In 1969, President Nixon had nominated Burger to the Chief Justice position. Burger had first attracted Nixon's attention through a letter of support the former sent to Nixon during the 1952 Fund crisis,and then again over a decade later when the magazine U.S. News and World Report had reprinted a 1967 speech that Burger had given at Ripon College. On July 24, 1974, Burger led the court in a unanimous decision in United States v. …show more content…
After years of campaigning by feminists, in 1972, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which reads, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Those in government believed that the Amendment would pass easily among the states. This proved correct when twenty-two of the necessary 38 states ratified it right away, and the remaining states were close behind in their decisions. In addition to the anti-war movement and the feminist movement, there was also the environmental movement. Many citizens began to fight against water waste, toxic chemicals, and meltdowns at nuclear power plants. In 1970, American citizens celebrated the first Earth Day, and Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act later that year. Two years later, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act
Law enforcement agents continued to investigate the case, which led them back to Nixon’s chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman in 1973. Later that year a white house aid revealed that Nixon secretly taped conversations in his office. The Senate committee that was investigating the Watergate scandal wanted to hear these recorded tapes. However, Nixon refused to hand them over, claiming that they …show more content…
The Supreme Court had to weigh the executive privilege against the rights of citizens to have a speedy and fair trial and to have the right to face their accusers. It was decided by the Court that the President is not a normal citizen, and therefore should receive great respect regarding executive claims of privilege. However, it was decided that executive privilege is not absolute and must be balanced against the right of the accused in criminal proceedings.
The Chief Justice that ruled over the Nixon vs. United States case was Warren E. Burger. In 1969, President Nixon had nominated Burger to the Chief Justice position. Burger had first attracted Nixon's attention through a letter of support the former sent to Nixon during the 1952 Fund crisis,and then again over a decade later when the magazine U.S. News and World Report had reprinted a 1967 speech that Burger had given at Ripon College. On July 24, 1974, Burger led the court in a unanimous decision in United States v. …show more content…
After years of campaigning by feminists, in 1972, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which reads, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Those in government believed that the Amendment would pass easily among the states. This proved correct when twenty-two of the necessary 38 states ratified it right away, and the remaining states were close behind in their decisions. In addition to the anti-war movement and the feminist movement, there was also the environmental movement. Many citizens began to fight against water waste, toxic chemicals, and meltdowns at nuclear power plants. In 1970, American citizens celebrated the first Earth Day, and Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act later that year. Two years later, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act