Ezel / Ethics Opinions / JUDICIAL-IL

Could an Illinois judge who was not a candidate contribute to another judge’s campaign?

Short answer Yes. The Committee allowed a contribution to the candidate’s finance committee as a political organization under former Rule 67B(1)(a)(iii).
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JUDICIAL-IL
Issued
March 22, 1994

Apply this to your situation

This page answers the general question as of 1994. Ask about yours and see what the current rules of professional conduct in your state say for your facts, with citations.

Disclaimer: Advisory only. Not binding precedent.
About this page: The plain-English summary, reader guidance, and Q&A below were written by Ezel based on the official ethics opinion. The original opinion (linked on this page) is the authoritative source for any reliance.

Plain-English summary

A sitting associate judge who was not a candidate asked about contributing to another associate judge’s circuit-judge campaign.

The Committee cited former Rule 67B(1)(a)(iii), which allowed judges and candidates to contribute to a political organization. It applied the Code’s definition of such an organization to the campaign finance committee.

The opinion approved a contribution made to that committee, while saying the contribution should not be handed directly to the candidate.

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 The Committee’s archive says that Code was superseded on January 1, 2023, and does not assess the effect of the 2023 Code.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: Could the noncandidate judge make the contribution?

A: Yes. The Committee permitted a contribution through the campaign finance committee.

Q: Did the opinion approve handing money to the candidate?

A: No. It specified that the contribution should go to the finance committee.

Background and rules framework

The opinion applied former Illinois Supreme Court Rule 67B(1)(a)(iii) and the Code’s definition of “political organization” to a judicial campaign finance committee.

Citations and references

  • Illinois Supreme Court Rule 67B(1)(a)(iii).

See also

Source

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