Institute for Ethics in Government

The concept of “particular matter” is a central one for the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (Standards of Conduct) and criminal conflict of interest laws. A host of confusion accompanies these two simple words and related concepts – “matters,” “particular matters of general applicability,” and “particular matters involving specific parties.” It is essential to understand the meaning of these terms – and the distinctions between them – because they determine the scope of relevant prohibitions and exemptions in ethics rules and laws. If ethics officials and employees fail to appreciate the distinction between these different categories, it can lead to inadvertent violations of the law.

This session is designed as an orientation to the meaning of “particular matter” and related terminology. Instructors provide basic guidance on how to identify various types of particular matters. They also discuss the various criminal conflict of interest statutes and Standards of Conduct provisions that use particular matter and related terminology and provide examples of how the analysis has been done in real cases.       

Course Evaluation