In a pivotal moment during the Watergate scandal, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that President Richard Nixon did not have the privilege to withhold subpoenaed tape recordings from the White House that were relevant to the investigation into the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972. The case, known as United States v. Nixon, arose after a special prosecutor sought the tapes as evidence, leading Nixon to assert executive privilege as a defense against the subpoena. The Supreme Court's decision played out in a politically charged environment, as public trust in the government was severely shaken by revelations of misdeeds and an attempt to cover them up by the highest office in the land.

The Court's ruling emphasized the principle that no person, not even the president, is above the law. Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote the opinion, which concluded that the need for relevant evidence in a criminal trial outweighed the president's claim of privilege. This ruling required Nixon to surrender the tapes, which ultimately provided crucial evidence in the ongoing investigation and contributed to the loss of his political support. The tapes revealed conversations that implicated Nixon in the Watergate cover-up activities.

The release of the tapes added to mounting pressure on Nixon, leading to his decision to resign from the presidency shortly thereafter. This landmark case transformed the landscape of presidential power and accountability, ensuring that future presidents could not claim absolute privilege to shield themselves from scrutiny in matters of criminal investigation.