Ezel / Ethics Opinions / JUDICIAL-IL

Could an Illinois judge sponsor a lawyer’s admission to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court?

Short answer The Committee allowed sponsorship based on personal knowledge, finding it a law-related activity that did not itself cast doubt on impartiality or amount to law practice.
Bar
JUDICIAL-IL
Issued
March 7, 1995

Apply this to your situation

This page answers the general question as of 1995. 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 Not binding precedent.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 lawyer asked a judge to sponsor the lawyer’s admission to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Committee permitted the sponsorship as a recommendation based on personal knowledge. It viewed the act as related to administration of justice under former Rule 64 and saw no impartiality concern on the stated facts.

The sponsor supplied an assessment of the applicant rather than legal advice, so the Committee did not treat the role as law practice under former Rule 65F.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 1995 under the 1993 Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct. The Committee’s page says that Code was superseded on January 1, 2023, and does not assess the effect of the 2023 Code.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 judge sponsor the lawyer?

A: Yes, based on personal knowledge and the stated facts.

Q: Was sponsorship law practice?

A: No. The Committee distinguished recommending an applicant from giving a client legal advice.

Q: Did sponsorship automatically compromise impartiality?

A: No. The Committee found no such indication without additional facts.

Background and rules framework

The Committee considered former Illinois Supreme Court Rules 62B, 64, and 65F and the 1990 ABA Model Code commentary on recommendations based on personal knowledge.

Citations and references

  • Illinois Supreme Court Rules 62B, 64, and 65F.
  • IJEC Opinions 93-8 and 93-9.

See also

Source

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