InUnited States law, aministerial act is agovernment action "performed according to legal authority, established procedures or instructions from a superior, without exercising any individual judgment."[1] It can be any act afunctionary orbureaucrat performs in a prescribed manner, without exercising any individualjudgment ordiscretion.[2] Under law, this would be classified under therubric ofpublic policy.
Examples of what is, and is not, ministerial
[edit]Examples of ministerial acts include:
Actions that arenot ministerial would include:
- a decision about application of atax law, auditing of an income tax return, determining facts and applying law to those facts, and prioritizing such returns[11]
If a ministerial act isnot performed, then a court may issue awrit of mandamus to compel the public official to perform said act.[12]
Absolute orsovereign immunity does not apply to the performance or non-performance of ministerial acts.[13]
- ^Hill, Gerald N. (2002).The people's law dictionary: taking the mystery out of legal language. New York, NY: MJF Books.ISBN 9781567315530. (quotation redacted and ellipses removed)
- ^Id.; Ballentine's Law Dictionary, p. 341.
- ^Ballentine's, supra.
- ^N.Y. Penal L. section 195.00 (requiring a notary to officiate upon request); see also People v. Brooks, 1 Den. 457; which may be found atN.Y. Notary LawArchived 2006-10-11 at theWayback Machine.
- ^See:California Tax regulations.
- ^See discussion at:Virginia Land Use law, citing Richlands Medical center v. Commonwealth, 230 Va. 384 (1985), Bd. of Co. Supervisors of Prince William Co. v. Hylton Enterprises, Inc., 216 Va. 582(1976).
- ^:Virginia Land Use law, supra, citing Town of Jonesville v. Powell Valley Village LP, 254 Va. 70 (1997).
- ^Virginia Land Use law, supra, citing Planning Comm'n of City of Falls Church v. Berman, 211 Va. 774 (1971).
- ^Ministerial Act news
- ^Second Circuit Blog, citing Burell V. United States, No. 05-2945-cr (2nd Cir. 2006)(decision by Sotomayor, J.), at[1].
- ^See, supra,California Tax regulations
- ^Virginia Land Use law, supra, citing Phillips v. Telum, Inc., 223 Va. 585 (1982).
- ^Virginia Land Use law, supra, citing Bogan v. Scott-Harris, 523 U.S. 44 (1998); Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 635 (1987); Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800 (1982); and Heider v. Clemons,241 Va. 143 (1991).
