Ending Government Corruption By Ending Sovereign Immunity

A major reason for the growing distrust of government is that government officials and employees often suffer no consequences from violations of the laws the rest of us must follow.

by Richard Rahn
February 11, 2016

A major reason for the growing distrust of government is the double standard whereby government officials and employees often suffer no consequences from incompetence, misbehavior and even criminal violations of the law.

In the common law, there is a general principle that if a person is damaged by the actions of others through negligence or illegal behavior, he or she has a right to redress.

Private companies and their officers and employees are subject to criminal prosecution and civil suits for dissemination of false information about their company and products, or for selling unsafe products. One sees the endless hawking by ambulance-chasing lawyers trying to obtain private plaintiffs to sue drug companies and those involved in accidents.

The actions of government officials and employees are often far more damaging than those in the private sector, but they are protected by “sovereign immunity” and civil service protections.

Sovereign immunity is a “leg…