May a judge contribute a recipe and photograph to a football-fans cookbook?
Apply this to your situation
This page answers the general question as of 1993. 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 judge asked about contributing a recipe and photograph to a cookbook of University of Alabama football fans. The Commission found no prohibition under the Canons.
It relied on Canon 5A, which permits nonlegal writing and social or recreational activity if the activity does not detract from the office’s dignity or interfere with judicial duties.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 1993, 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: May the judge contribute the recipe and photograph?
A: Yes. The Commission says the proposed contribution is not prohibited.
Q: What conditions did Canon 5A impose?
A: The activity must not detract from judicial dignity or interfere with judicial duties.
Background and rules framework
The opinion applies Canon 5A and cites earlier Commission opinions about a judge’s photograph in a school program and newspaper writing.
Citations and references
Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics:
- Canon 5A.
Other opinions cited:
- Alabama JIC Opinions 93-466 and 90-396, on judicial photographs in local programs and newspaper articles.
See also
Source
- Landing page: Alabama JIC advisory opinions
- Original PDF: Advisory Opinion 93-495
- Canon history: Alabama JIC, Canons of Judicial Ethics
Original opinion text
Reproduced from the official source for research purposes. The linked source is authoritative.
93-495
Judicial Inquiry Commission
800 SOUTH MCDONOUGH STREET
SUITE 201
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 36104
July 23, 1993
This is in response to your request for an advisory opinion from the Judicial Inquiry Commission. Your question is whether you may contribute a recipe to a cookbook consisting of recipes supplied by football fans of the University of Alabama. Your photograph would appear along with your recipe in the book. It is the opinion of this Commission that such a contribution is not prohibited by the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics. Canon 5A provides, in pertinent part: “A judge may write, lecture, teach, and speak on nonlegal subjects, and engage in the arts, sports, and other social and recreational activities, if such avocational activities do not detract from the dignity of his [or her] office or interfere with the performance of his [or her] judicial duties.” In Advisory opinion 93-466, this Commission held that an incumbent judge may place an advertisement in a local school annual yearbook or football program in which the judge is identified as a judge and is pictured in his or her judicial robe. Any advertisement must maintain the dignity appropriate to the judicial office. See also Advisory Opinion 90-396 (a judge may contribute quarterly articles to a newspaper for publication). This opinion has been considered by the Commission and is the opinion of the Judicial Inquiry Commission.
What do the rules say today, for your facts?
This opinion is from 1993. Ezel checks the current rules of professional conduct in your state against your situation and cites the rules it relies on.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Checks the law as it stands today, not only this page
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace