Problems in the Removal of Federal Civil Servants

The publicity given in the past few years to the loyalty and security program has brought the civil servant of the federal government increasingly before the public eye. At the same time little attention has been paid to the plight of a civil servant who is dismissed from his post for reasons other than those relating to loyalty and security. It is the purpose of this paper to consider different aspects of the removal of civil servants. We shall discuss (1) the government’s power to remove civil servants both at common law and under statutes which deal with the exercise of the removal power, (2) the procedural remedies available to a government worker ousted from office, (3) the loyalty program, and (4) the effect of the invocation by a civil servant of the privilege against self-incrimination.