Constitutional Opinion No. 2026-0811
Case Information
- Content Scored
- S.J.Res. 200 (119th Congress) — Directing removal of U.S. Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities against Iran (War Powers)
- Source
- U.S. Senate
- Author
- Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), with Sens. Kim, Kaine, Merkley, Van Hollen
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-13
- Content Type
- Legal / Normative Text (Senate joint resolution)
- Opinion Issued
- 2026-07-20
- AFCS Version
- 1.0
Holding
A War Powers joint resolution directing the President to remove U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities against Iran (operations begun Feb 28, 2026, exceeding the War Powers Resolution 60-day limit without a declaration of war or AUMF), preserving self-defense, allied-defense, intelligence, and evacuation carve-outs. Substantially aligned: reclaims Congress's Article I war power against unauthorized executive war-making (XVII, the core), advances non-interventionism / ending an undeclared foreign war (XVI non-interventionist clause, I), and returns the war decision to elected representatives (II). Held to the upper band, not the top, by the genuine strong-military / anti-Iran tension that divides the movement (XVI strong clause). A content-not-team datapoint: a Democratic-sponsored resolution constraining a Republican administration's war, scored on its constitutional merits — the same score an identical GOP-sponsored resolution would earn. Connects to 0796 (Iran strikes critique) and 0782 (Martin v. Mott).
It is the judgment of this Court that Opinion No. 2026-0811 is hereby entered into the record, in accordance with the America First Constitutional Standard. The score stands. The reasoning is published. The record is public.