Could an Illinois judge speak or be honored at a group’s dinner that was not a fundraiser?
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 considered speaking or being honored at dinners hosted by a domestic-violence advocacy group, a police organization, or a lawyer-assistance program. The dinners were not fundraisers.
The Committee said former Rule 65B(2)’s fundraising restriction did not itself prohibit speaking or being honored. It nevertheless treated the sponsoring group’s relationship to cases before the judge and its advocacy positions as relevant to apparent impartiality.
The opinion described possible concern if the domestic-violence or police groups took partisan positions on issues in the judge’s court. It found no such risk from the Lawyers’ Assistance Program on the stated facts, because that group served lawyers and judges without appearing before judges or taking positions on issues before them.
Currency note
This opinion was issued in 1994 under the 1993 Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct. The Committee’s archive says that Code was superseded on January 1, 2023, and does not assess the effect of the 2023 Code. Treat this page as historical context and verify the current Code before relying on its analysis.
Common questions
Q: Was a nonfundraising dinner role automatically barred?
A: No. The Committee said the Code did not categorically prohibit it.
Q: Why did the sponsoring group matter?
A: The opinion considered whether it appeared before judges or advocated positions on issues before the judge.
Q: What did it say about the Lawyers’ Assistance Program?
A: It found no impartiality risk on the stated facts.
Background and rules framework
The Committee considered former Illinois Supreme Court Rules 61 and 62 on integrity and impartiality, and Rule 65B(2) on use of a judge’s name for fundraising.
Citations and references
- Illinois Supreme Court Rules 61, 62, and 65B(2).
See also
Source
- Landing page: Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee Opinion 1993-04
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