Which writ may be issued if an officer is not performing a legal duty?

Correct answer: Mandamus

Direct answer: A, Mandamus, is correct. A writ is a formal direction issued by a court to protect legal rights or ensure that a public authority acts within the law. Mandamus literally means a command and is associated with ordering a public official or public body to perform a legal or public duty that it has failed or refused to perform. B, habeas corpus, is mainly connected with questioning unlawful detention and securing a detained person’s production before the court. C, quo warranto, questions the legal authority by which a person holds a public office. D, certiorari, is used to review or quash an order of a lower court or tribunal in appropriate circumstances. Therefore, the clue “not performing a legal duty” points to mandamus. Memory cue: Mandamus means “do the duty”; do not confuse it with habeas corpus, which concerns unlawful detention.