--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Government lawyers, like private ones…" description: "\"Government lawyers, like private ones, face the problem routinely of aiding in the defense and development of positions in whose correctness they don't..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg" --- # Government lawyers, like private ones, face the problem… ![“Government lawyers, like private ones, face the problem routinely of aiding in the defense and development of positions in whose correctness they don't believe.” quote by Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg) > “Government lawyers, like private ones, face the problem routinely of aiding in the defense and development of positions in whose correctness they don't believe.” [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legal professionals sometimes defend positions they privately doubt, exposing a conflict between duty and personal belief. **In simple terms:** Lawyers may argue for causes they don’t truly support. Key Takeaway Align advocacy with personal integrity. Themes ethics law conflict of interest Mood critical reflective Type ethical analytical When to use this quote - public policy - legal strategy Key Concepts professional duty moral psychology Questions to Reflect On - Should lawyers disclose doubts about a case? - How can the system protect integrity? A Different Perspective The tension can erode trust in legal institutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyers/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Government lawyers have a duty to disclose evidence of wrongdoing in the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-starr/government-lawyers-have-a-duty-to-disclose-evidence-of-wrongdoing-in/) [Ken Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-starr/) > [Lawyers like to leave no stone unturned, provided they can charge by the stone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-rhode/lawyers-like-to-leave-no-stone-unturned-provided-they-can-charge-by/) [Deborah Rhode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-rhode/) > [Lawyers are like spiders, they've eat up all the flies, and I guess they'll have to eat each other soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chandler-haliburton/lawyers-are-like-spiders-they-ve-eat-up-all-the-flies-and-i-guess/) [Thomas Chandler Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chandler-haliburton/) > [The question arises whether all lawyers are the same. 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They pretend to get mad and fight, but then they socialize after a trial is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitlow/lawyers-are-like-professional-wrestlers-they-pretend-to-get-mad-and/) [Robert Whitlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitlow/) ## More by Benjamin Wittes > [Reasonable people can disagree about the authorities the NSA should have, when it's appropriate for the CIA to use drone strikes, and how assertive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/reasonable-people-can-disagree-about-the-authorities-the-nsa-should/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [I'm a rationalist and a skeptic, someone who safely separates faith from reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-m-a-rationalist-and-a-skeptic-someone-who-safely-separates-faith/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [I'm an unabashed apologist for strong national-security authority. That's why I might be more alarmed by Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-m-an-unabashed-apologist-for-strong-national-security-authority/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [If you believe, as I do, that the scope and range of presidential authority is great, that puts a lot of weight on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/if-you-believe-as-i-do-that-the-scope-and-range-of-presidential/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [In any long string of letters, one can find countless anomalies that will seem like convincing proofs of hidden meaning to the mind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/in-any-long-string-of-letters-one-can-find-countless-anomalies-that/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [To get a FISA warrant to spy on a suspected spy, the feds go before a super-secret court located in a sealed room in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/to-get-a-fisa-warrant-to-spy-on-a-suspected-spy-the-feds-go-before-a/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [One effect of Roe was to mobilize a permanent constituency for criminalizing abortion - a constituency that has driven much of the southern realignment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/one-effect-of-roe-was-to-mobilize-a-permanent-constituency-for/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [There is no doubt in my mind that Article II limits to a considerable degree the application of the obstruction statutes to the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-article-ii-limits-to-a-considerable/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [It might seem perverse for honestly religious people to group their faiths with those of the sadists and megalomaniacs who run most cults, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/it-might-seem-perverse-for-honestly-religious-people-to-group-their/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [Eric Holder is a decent man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/eric-holder-is-a-decent-man/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [Al-Qaida is a cult of martyrdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/al-qaida-is-a-cult-of-martyrdom/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [I generally favor permissive abortion laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-generally-favor-permissive-abortion-laws/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [While I oppose the death penalty as a policy matter, in a legal culture in which we reserve the right to execute people for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/while-i-oppose-the-death-penalty-as-a-policy-matter-in-a-legal/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [We should stop thinking of Snowden, to the extent that we ever were, as a hero. 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He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Government lawyers, like private ones, face the problem routinely of aiding in the defense and development of positions in whose correctness they don't believe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Wittes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/government-lawyers-like-private-ones-face-the-problem-routinely-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/government-lawyers-like-private-ones-face-the-problem-routinely-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/benjamin-wittes-9097_believe_government-lawyers-like-private-ones-fac_1496612.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Government lawyers, like private ones, face the problem routinely of aiding in the defense and development…” — Benjamin Wittes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Benjamin Wittes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Government lawyers, like private ones, face...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/government-lawyers-like-private-ones-face-the-problem-routinely-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/government-lawyers-like-private-ones-face-the-problem-routinely-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```