Appearance of impropriety
Encyclopedia
The appearance of impropriety is a phrase
referring to a situation whose ethics
are deemed questionable. To a layperson, without knowledge of the specific facts, the comment or action in question appears inappropriate or a violation of a rule
or regulation
.
Phrase
In everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words which form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause....
referring to a situation whose ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
are deemed questionable. To a layperson, without knowledge of the specific facts, the comment or action in question appears inappropriate or a violation of a rule
Rule
Rule, ruler, ruling usually refers to standards for activities. They may refer to:- Human activity :* Business rule, a rule pertaining to the structure or behavior internal to an organization* Game rules, rules that define how a game is played...
or regulation
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
.
Resources
- Morgan, Peter & Reynolds, Glenn; The Appearance of Impropriety (ISBN 0-7432-4266-1)
External links
- Appearance of Impropriety article at the website of the United States Naval Inspector General
- Code of Conduct for United States Judges subsection on Appearance of Impropriety
- Alleged Conflicts of Interest because of the "Appearance of Impropriety" Hofstra law review article (PDF)