Find Court Cases > United States v. Richardson

United States v. Richardson

Case Date: 10/10/1973
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

Richardson, a taxpayer interested in activities of the Central Intelligence Agency, sued the government to provide records detailing the CIA's expenditures.

Question 

Does a federal taxpayer have standing to force the government to disclose expenditures of the CIA?

Argument United States v. Richardson - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3United States v. Richardson - Opinion Announcement  Download MP3 Conclusion  Decision: 5 votes for United States, 4 vote(s) against Legal provision:

The Court held that Richardson did not have standing to sue. Using the two- pronged standing test of Flast v. Cohen (1968), Chief Justice Burger found that there was no "logical nexus between the status asserted [by Richardson as a taxpayer] and the claim sought to be adjudicated." It was clear to Burger that Richardson was not "a proper and appropriate party to invoke federal judicial power" on this issue.