Ministerial act


In United States law, a ministerial act is a government action "performed according to legal authority, established procedures or instructions from a superior, without exercising any individual judgment." It can be any act a functionary or bureaucrat performs in a prescribed manner, without exercising any individual judgment or discretion. Under law, this would be classified under the rubric of public policy.

Examples of what is, and is not, ministerial

Examples of ministerial acts include:
Actions that are not ministerial would include:
If a ministerial act is not performed, then a court may issue a writ of mandamus to compel the public official to perform said act.
Absolute or sovereign immunity does not apply to the performance or non-performance of ministerial acts.