Legal Definitions - Veto

A veto is a constitutional power held by an individual or a body to unilaterally reject or prevent the implementation of a decision, proposal, or legislative act made by another body.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of a veto:

• State Governor's Legislative Veto: Imagine a state legislature passes a bill that would significantly increase funding for a new highway project, but the state's Governor believes the project is fiscally irresponsible and unnecessary. The Governor can use their veto power to reject the bill, preventing it from becoming law. This demonstrates the power of one person (the Governor) to prohibit a course of action (the highway project) chosen by another body (the legislature).

• United Nations Security Council Veto: The United Nations Security Council, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, proposes a resolution to deploy peacekeeping forces to a conflict zone. However, one of the five permanent member states (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, or the United States) believes the deployment would escalate tensions rather than resolve them. That permanent member can cast a veto, immediately blocking the resolution from passing, even if all other members voted in favor. This exemplifies the power of a single body (one permanent member) to unilaterally prohibit a course of action (the peacekeeping deployment) chosen by the collective (the rest of the Security Council).

• Corporate Board Member's Veto: In some corporate structures, particularly in joint ventures or companies with specific shareholder agreements, a particular board member or a representative of a major investor might hold a special veto power over certain critical decisions, such as large capital expenditures or mergers. For instance, if the company's management proposes a multi-million dollar acquisition of a competitor, and the bylaws grant a specific board member the right to block such a move, that member could exercise their veto. This would prevent the acquisition from proceeding, illustrating how an individual within a structured organization can use a granted power to prohibit a significant action chosen by others.