Civil Liberty Discussion Question

More than many other professionals, public administrators face the daily challenge of balancing personal rights with the needs of society. To perform their functions and duties, public administrators may have to carry out administrative actions that invade privacy interests and violate civil liberties. What would your personal ethical code of conduct dictate in the face of political or organizational policies that threaten personal liberties? What might help you frame your responsibilities in terms of protecting civil liberties while protecting all members of society?

In this Assignment, you analyze the complex administrative responsibilities in ensuring public freedom while protecting civil liberties.  

For this Discussion, read one of the articles highlighting the threat to civil liberties in the United States (Greenblatt, Inazu, McKelvey, or Wilke). 

Post your reaction to the article you selected. Then, explain how that article frames the responsibilities of public administrators who face ethical dilemmas in the attempt to ensure civil liberties while protecting all members of society. Multicultural and/or international examples are welcome but not required.

Support your postings and responses with specific references to the resources.

• Greenblatt, A. (2013). Free speech at risk. CQ Researcher, 23(16), 377–400.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. 
• Inazu, J. D. (2010). The forgotten freedom of assembly. Tulane Law Review, 84(3), 565–612.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• McKelvey, B. (2011). Due process rights and the targeted killing of suspected terrorists: The unconstitutional scope of executive killing power. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 44(5), 1353–1384.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Wilke, C. (2005). War v. justice: Terrorism cases, enemy combatants, and political justice in U.S. courts. Politics & Society, 33(4), 637–669.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.