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Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
The Fiduciary Obligations Of Public Officials, Vincent R. Johnson
The Fiduciary Obligations Of Public Officials, Vincent R. Johnson
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
At various levels of government, the conduct of public officials is often regulated by ethical standards laid down by legislative enactments, such as federal or state statutes or municipal ordinances. These rules of government ethics are important landmarks in the field of law that defines the legal and ethical obligations of public officials. Such provisions can form the basis for the kinds of government ethics training that helps to minimize wrongful conduct by public servants and reduces the risk that the performance of official duties will be clouded by appearances of impropriety. Codified government ethics rules also frequently provide mechanisms …
Prosecutorial Discretion: The Difficulty And Necessity Of Public Inquiry, Bruce A. Green
Prosecutorial Discretion: The Difficulty And Necessity Of Public Inquiry, Bruce A. Green
Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)
Prosecutors’ discretionary decisions have enormous impact on individuals and communities. Often, prosecutors exercise their vast power and discretion in questionable ways. This Article argues that, to encourage prosecutors to use their power wisely and not abusively, there is a need for more informed public discussion of prosecutorial discretion, particularly with regard to prosecutors’ discretionary decisions about whether to bring criminal charges and which charges to bring. But the Article also highlights two reasons why informed public discussion is difficult—first, because public and professional expectations about how prosecutors should use their power are vague; and, second, because, particularly in individual cases, …