|
In response to
""High crimes and misdemeanors" is taken as a single term, and was generally understood to mean an abuse of authority or official misconduct "
by
znufrii, definitely not 40
|
Yup. And "high" referred to the status of the official, not the status of the crime.
|
A person of high status was expected to be more diligent in upholding the public trust. So, while minor offenses like perjury might be excusable among regular folks, it was considered a great offense for a public or military official to abuse the public trust by lying.
And that concept is still present in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Offenses like refusing to obey an order, dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, lying under oath, etc. are punishable by courts martial -- and the disciplinary punishment scales up the higher up the chain of command you go. But with civilians, these are offenses are simply handled as an HR matter.
|
Responses:
|