Opinion of the Court
II
Article III of the Constitution confines the federal judicial power to “Cases” and “Controversies.” Under Article III, a case or controversy can exist only if a plaintiff has standing to sue—a bedrock constitutional requirement that this Court has applied to all manner of important disputes. See, e.g., TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, 594 U. S. ___, ___ (2021) (slip op., at 7); California v. Texas, 593 U. S. ___, ___ (2021) (slip op., at 4); Carney v. Adams, 592 U. S. ___, ___–___ (2020) (slip op., at 4–5); Hollingsworth v. Perry, 570 U. S. 693, 704 (2013); Clapper v. Amnesty Int’l USA, 568 U. S. 398, 408 (2013); Raines v. Byrd, 521 U. S. 811, 818 (1997); Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U. S. 555, 559–560 (1992); Allen v. Wright, 468 U. S. 737, 750 (1984); Schlesinger v. Reservists Comm. to Stop the War, 418 U. S. 208, 215 (1974); United States v. Richardson, 418 U. S. 166, 171 (1974).
As this Court’s precedents amply demonstrate, Article III standing is “not merely a troublesome hurdle to be overcome if possible so as to reach the ‘merits’ of a lawsuit which a party desires to have adjudicated; it is a part of the basic charter promulgated by the Framers of the Constitution at Philadelphia in 1787.” Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc., 454 U. S. 464, 476 (1982). The principle of Article III standing is “built on a single basic idea—the idea of separation of powers.” Allen, 468 U. S., at 752. Standing doctrine helps safeguard the Judiciary’s proper—and properly limited—role in our constitutional system. By ensuring that a plaintiff has standing to sue, federal courts “prevent the judicial process from being used to usurp the powers of the political branches.” Clapper, 568 U. S., at 408.
