United States v. Smith (1888)

United States v. Mouat
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued January 16, 1888 Decided February 6, 1888
Full case name	United States v. Smith
Citations	124 U.S. 525 (more)
Holding
There must be a law authorizing a Department Head to appoint an official in order for such official to be considered an officer of the United States. In the absence of such a law, the official is a mere employee.
Court membership
Chief Justice Morrison Waite Associate Justices Samuel F. Miller · Stephen J. Field Joseph P. Bradley · John M. Harlan Stanley Matthews · Horace Gray Samuel Blatchford · Lucius Q. C. Lamar II
Case opinion
Majority	Field, joined by unanimous
Laws applied
U.S. Const. art. II, § 2, cl. 2

United States v. Mouat, 124 U.S. 525 (1888), was a decision of the United States Supreme Court concerning the Appointments Clause.

External links

• Text of United States v. Smith, 124 U.S. 525 (1888) is available from: Cornell  Justia