Law Commons^™

Conscience Leave, Andrew K. Jennings

Faculty Articles

In the federal government, political officials come and go while civil servants remain. In the ordinary course, the political officials make decisions about what policies the government will pursue while civil servants use their labor and expertise to carry those policies out––even when they disagree with them. But what happens when political officials pursue policies that civil servants view as deviating from normal bounds–– policies that are unethical, immoral, or unlawful? This Article examines when and how civil servants might object to such policies, including going so far as to leave government service. It concludes that when faced with such …