Could a district judge chair drinking-and-driving and seat-belt safety programs and speak in public service messages?
Apply this to your situation
This page answers the general question as of 1986. Ask about yours and see what the current rules of professional conduct in your state say for your facts, with citations.
Plain-English summary
A district judge proposed serving as safety chair for the National Council on Alcoholism, working on drinking-and-driving awareness and seat-belt safety. The question included public service advertising and speaking.
The Commission found no Canons prohibition on those activities. It described the programs as consistent with Canons 4 and 5 because they promoted traffic-safety law, while reminding the judge that participation remained subject to those Canons.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 1986, after the Alabama Supreme Court’s 1975 adoption of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics. Subsequent amendments or later opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context and verify the current Canons and linked opinion before relying on its conclusions.
Common questions
Q: Could the judge appear in public service advertising?
A: Yes. The Commission included those appearances in its permitted activities.
Q: Which Canons governed?
A: The Commission identified Canons 4 and 5 for these extrajudicial activities.
Background and rules framework
The opinion identifies Canons 4 and 5 as governing a judge’s law-related and extrajudicial safety work.
Citations and references
Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics:
- Canon 4
- Canon 5
See also
Source
- Landing page: Alabama JIC advisory opinions
- Original PDF: Advisory Opinion 86-257
- Canon history: Alabama JIC, Canons of Judicial Ethics
Original opinion text
Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.
86-257
Judicial Inquiry Commission
800 SOUTH MCDONOUGH STREET
SUITE 201
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 36104
March 3, 1986
The Judicial Inquiry Commission has considered your request for an opinion concerning whether, under the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics, a District Court Judge may serve as Safety Chairman for the National Council on Alcoholism. As Chairman, the Judge would be involved in the Drinking and Driving Awareness Program and the Seat Belt Safety Program. The Drinking and Driving Awareness Program is designed to increase public awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, to aid in lowering the percentage of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and to encourage safe driving. This program, if successful, would aid in reducing the number of alcohol-related traffic cases filed in district courts by decreasing instances of drinking and driving. Similarly, the Seat Belt Safety Program is designed to increase highway safety by increasing the use of seat belts on Alabama highways. It is the opinion of the Commission that a District Court Judge is not prohibited from serving as Chairman of the described programs, appearing in public service advertising, and speaking on the issues involved. A Judge’s extra-judicial activities are governed largely by Canons 4 and 5 of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics. The purpose of the programs described above is consistent with those Canons in that they are designed to promote the law in traffic safety. In participating in these programs, a Judge should be ever mindful of the provisions of Canons 4 and 5. Sincerely, JUDICIAL INQUIRY COMMISSION
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