Schlesinger v. Reservists Committee to Stop the War, 418 U.S. 208 (1974), was a decision by the United States Supreme Court which ruled that citizens do not have the right to challenge the constitutionality of members of Congress holding reserve commissions in the armed forces.
[1] Article I, Section 6, clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the Ineligibility Clause, states that "no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office."
The Reservists Committee and several of its members brought suit to challenge the legality of members of Congress holding officer's commissions in the reserve components of the armed forces.
[2] The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed.
[3] In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court, in an opinion by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, held that standing to sue may not be predicated upon an interest held in common by all members of the public.