legitimate government

Cultural  

1. A government generally acknowledged as being in control of a nation and deserving formal recognition, which is symbolized by the exchange of diplomats between that government and the governments of other countries.

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Example Sentences

"I don't recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, and they don't have recognition here in Austria," said 53-year-old Bakhtari.

From Barron's

“Members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif, said in a statement.

From Salon

And so, Roberts ruled, the court need only ask whether the health care ban is “rationally related to a legitimate government interest.”

From Slate

Under traditional rational basis review—the lowest, most permissive tier of judicial scrutiny—laws are upheld so long as they are “conceivably” related to a legitimate government interest.

From Slate

Under established Supreme Court precedent, the singling out of a particular group for disfavored treatment—whether they be people living with disabilities, hippies, Christians, or transgender people—is never a legitimate government purpose and, instead, evidences an unconstitutional desire to harm.

From Slate