National Affairs: A Clear Violation

The nine Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court filed out from behind their velour curtain on "decision Monday" this week and took their seats with routine solemnity. Chief Justice Fred Vinson looked out across the crowded chamber and announced that routine business would be postponed until after the reading of opinions in "the steel case." At his words, the chamber buzzed with electric anticipation.

On Vinson's right, Justice Hugo Lafayette Black put on his thick-rimmed glasses and picked up a sheaf of papers. In his Alabama half-drawl, he began reading the majority decision. Its conclusion:

¶ President Truman's seizure of the steel...