Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The question is pretty simple. Elected government officials are paid to do their jobs, in accordance to the law. What should be done when they ignore the law and follow their own personal opinions? Particularly federal law? Should elected officials be exempt from following the law, if they think those laws are wrong? As we saw with the county clerk, they can not be "fired", but instead must be removed from office via impeachment.
The question is pretty simple. Elected government officials are paid to do their jobs, in accordance to the law. What should be done when they ignore the law and follow their own personal opinions? Particularly federal law? Should elected officials be exempt from following the law, if they think those laws are wrong? As we saw with the county clerk, they can not be "fired", but instead must be removed from office via impeachment.
The question is pretty simple. Elected government officials are paid to do their jobs, in accordance to the law. What should be done when they ignore the law and follow their own personal opinions? Particularly federal law? Should elected officials be exempt from following the law, if they think those laws are wrong? As we saw with the county clerk, they can not be "fired", but instead must be removed from office via impeachment.
Someone with standing needs to collect evidence and bring that evidence to the appropriate court, either civil or criminal - in other words, make a case.
Yes, this can be difficult. But it should be. If the people elect someone, there needs to be solid evidence for another branch of government to remove that person. An elected official isn't just any other offender. Which is the reason for the impeachment process in the first place.
I think many other states besides KY will be looking real hard at this during their next legislative sessions.
I think Davis was an especially cut-and-dried case. She said what she was doing, she said why she was doing it, she disobeyed a direct court order. Most of the time, it's going to be murkier than this. For instance, marijuana laws - if the sheriff is sick of enforcing them, and he knows a majority of the voters in his jurisdiction either don't care or actively oppose enforcement, and he has a limited budget and other pressing enforcement issues - well, it's within his discretion to tell his officers not to bother arresting anyone unless that someone tries to sell them a joint. Is he wrong to do that? Should he be removed from office?
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
