May a full-time elected judge teach a law-related course part time?
Apply this to your situation
This page answers the general question as of 1991. 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 full-time elected judge asked whether part-time teaching of a law-related course was permissible if it did not conflict with regular office hours.
The Commission answered yes. It quoted Canon 4A’s permission to teach about the law, legal system, and administration of justice, subject to proper performance of judicial duties and the judge’s ability to decide impartially.
The opinion added that the teaching must not detract from the dignity of the judicial office or interfere with judicial duties, citing Canon 5A.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 1991, 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 a full-time elected judge teach the law-related course?
A: Yes, on the conditions stated by the Commission concerning impartiality, dignity of office, and judicial duties.
Q: Was avoiding a conflict with regular office hours the only condition?
A: No. The Commission also required that teaching not cast doubt on impartiality, detract from the office’s dignity, or interfere with judicial duties.
Background and rules framework
The opinion quotes Canon 4A on law-related teaching and cites Canon 5A for the dignity and duties limits. The official index and filename label the document 91-433, while the PDF’s first line prints 92-433 and the letter is dated August 30, 1991.
Citations and references
Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics:
- Canon 4A
- Canon 5A
See also
Source
- Landing page: Alabama JIC advisory opinions
- Original PDF: Advisory Opinion 91-433
- Canon history: Alabama JIC, Canons of Judicial Ethics
Original opinion text
Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.
92-433
Judicial Inquiry Commission
800 SOUTH MCDONOUGH STREET
SUITE 201
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 36104
August 30, 1991
This is in response to your request for an advisory opinion from the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission. Your question is: May a full-time elected judge teach a law related course on a part-time basis so long as it does not conflict with his regular office hours? Canon 4A of the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics provides: “A judge, subject to the proper performance of his judicial duties, may engage in the following quasi-judicial activities, if in doing so he does not cast doubt on his capacity to decide impartially any issue that may come before him: A. He may speak, write, lecture, teach, and participate in other activities concerning the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice.” Therefore, the answer to your question is yes, a full-time elected judge may teach a law related course on a part-time basis so long as 1) in doing so he does not cast doubt on his capacity to decide impartially any issue that may come before him, and 2) does not detract from the dignity of his office or interfere with the performance of his judicial duties. See also Canon 5A. The Commission thanks you for your inquiry and commends you for your effort to abide by the Canons of Judicial Ethics. Respectfully, JUDICIAL INQUIRY COMMISSION
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