By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 12, 2023
Subject to limitations on price and number of tickets, a candidate for election to judicial office may pay the lowest price offered to the general public, even if specially discounted tickets are made available to district leaders.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 11, 2023
May a full-time judge serve on the board of directors of two local not-for-profit organizations: 1) [City] Partners in Education, which "partners with students to ensure they are ready for, enroll in, and complete college" and "does not engage with the Courts at all" and 2) Cluster, Inc., which provides, among other programs, community mediation services including in small claims court?
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 10, 2023
A family court judge may enter into a memorandum of understanding with an agency that provides a "safe haven" facility for free supervised visitation and safe exchange of children, where the agreement sets forth a general expectation that (1) the court will continue to make referrals as needed in appropriate cases and (2) the judge and court staff will participate in giving and/or attending appropriate domestic violence training along with a wide variety of other signatories. As the agreement does not purport to mandate specific training programs, the judge must exercise discretion and participate only when doing so will not create an appearance of impropriety or raise reasonable questions about the judge's impartiality.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 7, 2023
(1) A judge who is concerned about violations of property maintenance regulations in the judge's neighborhood may publicly express the judge's personal views as a private citizen whose personal interests are affected by the lack of zoning enforcement, including at a public meeting of the city council or in a letter to the editor. (2) On these facts, the judge may also draw on the judge's prior experiences as a city prosecutor and a city court judge to propound suggestions to the mayor and city council about how the local court could address these quality-of-life issues, but should not refer to the judge's present judicial status in doing so.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 6, 2023
(1) A full-time judge who learns that a law firm's website advertises its experience appearing before particular judges, and hosts individual biographical pages for those judges on its own website in a format that combines the judges' information with the solicitation of business, must request in writing that the firm take down these biographical pages and remove the associated links. (2) On these facts, reporting is not mandated; any exercise of the judge's disciplinary functions is left to the judge's sole discretion.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 5, 2023
A judge who concludes there is a substantial likelihood that an attorney sought to compromise a criminal prosecution for personal financial gain must report that attorney to the grievance committee.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 4, 2023
May a full-time judge volunteer in a mock trial program and teach an extracurricular law class for students at a not-for-profit private high school?
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | December 3, 2023
Although a judge must respect and comply with the law, the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics cannot resolve legal or administrative questions and declines to comment on past conduct, hypothetical conduct, or the conduct of third parties.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | November 30, 2023
(1) On these facts, a judge who has first-hand knowledge of an attorney's insistence on undertaking a particular representation, notwithstanding the judge's prior warnings about a clear conflict of interest, must take "appropriate action." (2) Where the attorney's conduct does not rise to such an egregious level that it seriously calls into question the attorney's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer, the judge has full discretion to determine what action is "appropriate" under the circumstances.
By Committee on Judicial Ethics | November 29, 2023
(1) On the facts presented, a town justice may acquiesce in the town supervisor's proposed changing of locks to the court offices, pursuant to a town resolution and town policy. (2) If, as events unfold, the judge finds that the town supervisor abuses their access to court areas, otherwise interferes with court operations, or undermines judicial independence, the judge should report any such actions to an appropriate supervising or administrative judge.
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