Runkle v. United States

Runkle v. United States
Argued April 22, 1887
Decided May 27, 1887
Full case nameRunkle v. United States
Citations122 U.S. 543 (more)
7 S. Ct. 1141; 30 L. Ed. 1167; 1887 U.S. LEXIS 2136
Holding
The president cannot delegate the power vested in him to pass finally upon a court-martial sentence because he is the only person bestowed with the judicial power of making a final determination.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Morrison Waite
Associate Justices
Samuel F. Miller · Stephen J. Field
Joseph P. Bradley · John M. Harlan
Stanley Matthews · Horace Gray
Samuel Blatchford
Case opinion
MajorityWaite, joined by unanimous

Runkle v. United States, 122 U.S. 543 (1887), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States determined that the president cannot delegate the power vested in him to approve the proceedings and sentence of a court-martial because the president is the only person bestowed with the judicial power of making a final determination.