Unconstitutional orders

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Hi all,

From the Deep Throat thread.

If you're in government service and someone up your chain of command gives you or your superiors an order that you believe is unconstitutional or otherwise illegal, what should you do about it?

- NF

[RevDisk]

Hi all,

From the Deep Throat thread.

If you're in government service and someone up your chain of command gives you or your superiors an order that you believe is unconstitutional or otherwise illegal, what should you do about it?

- NF

Report it to the Inspector General (or Internal Affairs, or similiar internal organization).  If that does not resolve the issue, the FBI, Justice Department, etc.   If none of them will touch the case, well.  Then it's up to the individual.  I'd leak to the media only after all possible in channel solutions have been used up.

[roo_ster]

Some .gov employees decided it was just easier to waste the b***h, rather than question orders and put their retirement at risk. (referring to R. Weaver's wife).

From my conversations with current .gov employees (state & fed LEO*), they'd follow orders, use the "we were just following orders defense" and expect their superiors to take the heat for issuing illegal/unconst orders.

Don't expect too much out of bureaucrats who have their retirement & livlihood on the line.  You'll be disappointed if you do.

* One had piror military service, the other didn't.  I had expected better from the prior-service guy.  I got what I expected from the non-prior-service fellow, given my familiarity with him.