- A judge may consult about adjudicative responsibilities with another judge, individually or on a listserv, as long as he does not receive factual information that is not part of the record and makes an independent decision in the matter. Michigan Opinion JI-149 (2020).
- As long as the judge does not discuss any pending or impending cases, a judge presiding over a dependency/delinquency docket may meet with attorneys working for Children’s Legal Services, without other stakeholders, to discuss docket management, scheduling issues, and expectations for motion practice, but it would be prudent for the judge to invite all stakeholders to the meeting. Florida Opinion 2020-5.
- A judge is not disqualified from cases involving the city prosecutor even though their children are schoolmates and friends outside of school when she and the prosecutor have no interaction other than scheduling visits for their children to see each other. New York Opinion 2019-161.
- While a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of such arrests in New York’s courthouses is pending or impending, a town justice must not lobby the town board to adopt a policy prohibiting civil immigration arrests in the town court. New York Opinion 2019-135.
- Judges may attend school programs to generally educate parents and students about truancy-related issues and court processes. Judges should not participate as volunteer “judges” in school-sponsored truancy intervention programs in which the judge engages directly with specific at-risk families or appears to “preside” over dockets. Judges may not be members of a “truancy team” to assist a particular family or review the details of truancy issues in specific cases. North Carolina Opinion 2020-1.
- A judge may attend an event honoring black female judges if the event is not also a fund-raiser. Florida Opinion 2020-4.
- Judges must not publish their own charitable contributions on social media. Judges may support charitable organizations on social media. A judge who is on a charitable organization’s boards of directors may permit his position to be listed on the organization’s websites and social media. If a judge has reservations about being associated with any charitable organization, the judge should avoid the association, including through social media and other digital media used by the organization. Michigan Advisory Opinion JI-148 (2029).
- A judge may not participate in a conference call organized by a federal legislator to plan an event on Capitol Hill in which individuals of a particular ethnic/cultural heritage gather and attend workshops on issues such as immigration, education, the workforce, the U.S. economy, and trade. New York Opinion 2019-138.
- A judge may personally appeal the denial of claims for health insurance coverage for her dependent child and may seek reversal of charges imposed by the child’s college. New York Opinion 2020-18.
- A district court commissioner may not accept a temporary position as a census taker/enumerator. Maryland Opinion Request 2020-6.
- A court attorney-referee may participate in a census education drive organized by his fraternity/sorority, provided his participation is strictly neutral, non-partisan, and informational. New York Opinion 2019-149.
- A judge may not serve on the executive committee of a regional Boy Scouts Council when several cases have been filed against the organization under the Child Victims Act and a member of the executive committee was recently charged with sexual abuse of children. New York Opinion 2020-3.
- A judge may serve as a board member on a local council of the Boy Scouts of America, but must resign if the council becomes involved in litigation. A judge may mentor high school students through a program organized by a not-for-profit. A judge may not serve on the board of a network of not-for-profit agencies when some of those agencies engage in advocacy, accept court referrals, or are eligible for appointments in the judge’s court. New York Opinion 2020-55.
- A town justice may attend public town board meetings as an observer. New York Opinion 2019-158.
- A judge may make a private monetary donation to a non-judicial candidate’s campaign even though the candidate must publish a public financial report of donations. Michigan Opinion JI-145 (2020).
- Judicial officers and judicial candidates may advertise their campaigns on personal or professional social media accounts but may not use those accounts to solicit or accept campaign contributions. A judicial candidate’s campaign committee may solicit contributions through social media platforms. Michigan Opinion JI-147 (2019).
Judicial ethics and discipline 