Commission of an unlawful act; committed by a public official is known as which term?

• A. Negligence
• B. Indemnify
• C. Civil Rights Violation
• D. Malfeasance

Answer: (D)

Malfeasance is the act of doing something illegal or wrongful in an official role. When a public official commits an unlawful act, that conduct is malfeasance. This specifically describes wrongdoing carried out while holding public office, as opposed to simply failing to act or acting improperly for a lawful purpose.

Negligence would be about not taking reasonable care, not about committing an unlawful act. Indemnify means to compensate for loss, which is not related to the act itself. Civil rights violation refers to harms to protected rights, which can overlap with official misconduct but doesn’t pinpoint the act of committing an unlawful act in office as directly as malfeasance does.