Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP

In April 2019, three House committees issued subpoenas to Mazars USA, Deutsche Bank, and Capital One seeking President Donald Trump's personal financial records. Trump sued to block the subpoenas, arguing they lacked a legitimate legislative purpose. The Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision authored by Chief Justice Roberts, held that courts must carefully analyze separation of powers principles when Congress subpoenas a President's personal information. The Court vacated the lower court rulings and remanded the case for application of a new four-factor test. The decision affirmed that the President is not absolutely immune from congressional process but established heightened scrutiny for such subpoenas.

In a 7-2 decision on July 9, 2020, the Supreme Court vacated the judgments of the D.C. Circuit and Second Circuit and remanded the cases to the lower courts. The Court held that lower courts had not adequately considered separation of powers concerns and established a four-factor test for evaluating congressional subpoenas directed at the President's personal information.

Whether congressional committees have the authority to subpoena a sitting President's personal financial records from third-party custodians, and what standard courts should apply when evaluating such subpoenas in light of separation of powers concerns.

The decision reinforced Congress's oversight authority while establishing new procedural hurdles for obtaining a President's personal records. It clarified that the President is not above the law but also not treated as an ordinary citizen in congressional investigations. The ruling affected subsequent congressional investigations, including the January 6th Committee's subpoena of Trump, and shaped the legal framework for future interbranch information disputes.