THE NATION: The American Lesson

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This week the Supreme Court decided that the President of the U.S. has no powers other than those named in the Constitution or derived from acts of Congress. He holds one of the mostpowerful posts in the world, but he may not make law under any circumstances, even in emergencies.

This affirmation of the American doctrine of separate legislative, executive and judicial powers is all the more striking because every member of the court was appointed by Roosevelt or Truman, and some of the Justices (e.g., Frankfurter, Douglas) have been mainsprings of the New-Fair Deal.

The nation and the world have long understood that the U.S. is strong, but perhaps neither the nation nor the world fully understand that constitutional government by limited and balanced powers is the key of that strength. The court trenchantly stated the case for constitutional government at a time when it direly needed restating.