Is it possible for a private citizen to sue a sitting President of The United States?

Question

On the basis of such things as breach of contract (i.e. the upholding of the Constitution) or trust? And before I get inundated with a bunch of stuff about being a Liberal, this is purely an objective question, it has nothing to do with recent events or my personal views.

Answer 1

ask Clinton!

Answer 2

This nation depends on the president to start protective actions even when he has bad intelligence or is just wrong. No matter what party the president is a member of there will be people that blame the sitting pres for stuff that he has to do or things that have been going on for years that are not his fault. Let's face it ,since the 60's the respect for the office has declined and the misinformation and manipulation of both words and deeds to cast doubt and more disrespect on the sitting president has become the norm.If you know our history then you should know that if an individual person could file suit against a sitting president we would not be the nation that we are today.For one thing Lincoln would have never been able to raise an army of conscripted soldiers in time to save the union.The opinion of a single citizen as to what "upholding the constitution" actually means can be just as twisted and distorted as the human mind at it's worst. So be glad the general public in all of it's grandiose indignation cannot add steaming piles of bureaucratic legal crap to a job that is already stressed beyond belief.

Answer 3

It appears it can be done. Only there are two opinions on the subject. Whether to go for criminal proceeding when impeachment is possible through the Congress? Hence criminal proceedings or impeachment. However a few instances from the source given are listed.
1. Paula Jones

Paula Jones
Thursday, Nov. 9, noon ET
She initiated the sexual harassment lawsuit that nearly brought down a presidency. Her case, Jones v. Clinton, established that a private citizen has the right to sue a sitting president.

2. Let me take a moment to summarize my preliminary view at the outset, with the strong qualification that I remain open to persuasion. Based on a review of the Constitution, legal commentary, court ruling, and the written testimony that has been submitted for today's hearing, I enter the hearing with two preliminary thoughts. My first preliminary thought: the president would appear to be subject to the compulsory process of the criminal law. Put simply, the Constitution and our history appear to reflect the fundamental principle that no man is above the law. The president is subject to the law, not above it. If he violates the law, he can be prosecuted.

But there is a second important question, and that is this: Assuming a president can be prosecuted, should he be prosecuted, when impeachment is a viable option? I think not. Prudence dictates that absence extraordinary circumstances, that when impeachment is available to address presidential misconduct, prosecution should await the resolution of the impeachment question by the Congress.

VR

Answer 4

Can a private united statescitizen sue the President of u.s.? If a private U.S. citizen feels that his elected president lied to the individuals and introduced us right into a failed and extremely high priced conflict, can he, as somebody, sue the President? the nicely suited and criminal answer is "No". voters have not got the nicely suited to sue the President, yet voters who experience as you do above can push for his impeachment and indictment. i'm answering your question, through fact i've got self belief in justice and a appropriate end to the Iraq conflict.

Answer 5

I think that is actually an unsure area of Constitutinal law, but I am not sure.

You'd have to have standing to sue, and find a court that would take the case, and get it done while the President was still in office, but the Constitutional issues itself would seem to take more time then that, making the question moot. which is probably why it has never come up.

But in any case, your question won't cut it because the President's behavior is not a contractual issue and s/he has wide latitude to apply judgment as they see fit.

Answer 6

No. Disagreement with the government does not constitute a basis for filing a law suit.

Answer 7

No, and it certainly would not be cost effective for the person doing the suing as the Pres has a lot of legal beagles on his side.

Answer 8

No, because the president needs to focus on running the country, not fighting off all the frivolous lawsuits. You know if he could be sued, all his time would be eaten up with silly lawsuits!

Answer 9

7 decision Clinton v. Jones. In 1994, Paula Jones sued President Clinton for allegedly sexually harassing her in 1991, while she was an Arkansas state employee and before Clinton won the presidential election. Clinton's lawyers argued that presidential immunity extended to unofficial acts, and that the trial should be postponed until Clinton left office. The court decided against Clinton, who ultimately paid Jones $850,000 to settle the suit. A somewhat similar lawsuit was brought against John F. Kennedy during his presidency. In 1962, Kennedy settled out of court with Mississippi State Sen. Hugh Lee Bailey, aka "the Donkey-Riding Senator," for injuries Bailey sustained in a 1960 traffic accident (involving Kennedy's driver but not Kennedy himself) that left the state senator unable to ride a donkey. Bailey had sought $250,000; Kennedy paid $17,500.

Answer 10

No, it isn't possible. They tried it with President Clinton too.

Answer 11

A) no you cannot sue a sitting President.
B) didn't your Mom teach you about lying.