JUDGING THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS

This article discusses the moral importance of privacy and its place i n the lives of public officials. It examines the tension between the l egitimate claims of citizens and overseers to scrutinize the private l ives of public figures and the rights of officials to privacy, it argu es that these legitimate reasons break down in practice almost all bar riers to scrutiny due to the weaknesses of the limits and the incentiv es of American politics and the modern media. The article explores the consequences of a world where public officials possess no private liv es. These unsavory consequences exemplify the dangers of denying any b oundaries between private and public. The article concludes that citiz ens need to redefine the boundaries of private and public life and sug gests standards by which citizens can judge the private lives of publi c officials.