Field v. Clark 143 U.S. 649 (1892)

• Author: Leonard W. Levy
• Pages: 1039

Page 1039

This is a leading case on the subject of DELEGATION OF POWER. The Tariff Act of 1890 authorized the President to suspend its free-trade provisions indefinitely as to countries discriminating against American products. The Supreme Court held, 7?2, that though the act invested the President with discretion, it did not invest him with " LEGISLATIVE POWER "; Congress had fixed adequate standards for his guidance.

Field is also often cited as a POLITICAL QUESTION precedent. Appellants argued that the enrolled act contained one section that the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES had not passed. The Court refused to examine this question; the act's transmission by the congressional leadership and its enrollment by...