Legal Definitions - taxpayer-standing doctrine

The taxpayer-standing doctrine is a principle in constitutional law that states a taxpayer cannot sue the government for misspending public tax money unless they can show a direct injury or personal stake in the matter.

Let's say a group of taxpayers believe that the government is using tax money to fund a project that they disagree with. They cannot sue the government just because they are taxpayers. They must show that they have been directly affected by the project or have a personal stake in the matter.

For example, if the project is a new highway that will run through a taxpayer's property, they would have standing to sue because they have a direct injury. However, if the project is a new park that the taxpayers simply do not agree with, they would not have standing to sue because they have not been directly affected.