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The Constitution of the United States of America

Note 409 — ARTICLE II (continued 3)

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158 U.S. at 584, 586. Some years earlier, in the United States v. San Jacinto Tin Co., the Courts sustained the right of the Attorney General and of his assistants to institute suits simply by virtue of their general official powers. "If," the Court said, "the United States in any particular case has a just cause for calling upon the judiciary of the country, in any of its courts, for relief * * *" in the question of appealing to them "must primarily be decided by the Attorney General * * *" and if restrictions are to be placed upon the exercise of this authority it is for Congress to enact them. 125 U.S. 273, 279 (1888). Cf. Hayburn's case, 2 Dall. 409 (1792), in which the Court rejected Attorney General Randolph's contention that he had the right ex officio to move for a writ of mandamus ordering the United States circuit court for Pennsylvania to put the Invalid Pension Act into effect.

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