A report by the Alaska legislature released Friday indicates that Gov. Sarah Palin, now the Republican vice presidential candidate, acted contrary to the state's ethics law in trying to get her sister's ex-husband fired as a state trooper.

The trooper, Michael Wooten, was divorced from Ms. Palin's sister in 2006. Shortly after Ms. Palin became governor, she, her husband Todd (who holds no office in Alaska) and other state employees under her direction put pressure on Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire Mr. Wooten. When Mr. Monegan didn't fire him, the governor fired Mr. Monegan.

Stephen Branchflower, who was hired by the Joint Legislative Council to investigate the charges, reported last week that while Mr. Monegan's refusal to fire one of his employees was a factor in his dismissal by the governor, other issues like budget and trooper vacancies also contributed.

The Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act was passed to discourage employees from acting on personal interest in the performance of their public responsibilities. Ms. Palin and her husband were clearly seeking personal revenge on Mr. Wooten in trying to take away his job after his divorce from her sister. "Gov. Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda," the report concluded.

The incident wouldn't matter that much, except to Mr. Monegan and Mr. Wooten, if there weren't the risk that Ms. Palin might have the opportunity to take this petty, vindictive approach to personnel management in government to the White House.

Alaska voters may still have the opportunity to indicate what they think of her using the power of state government to try to take away her ex-brother-in-law's job. They and all other voters in the United States will be able to express their views of her actions on Nov. 4.