Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee Ethics Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of legal ethics opinions issued by the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee, with full citations and source links on every page.
No Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee opinions match these filters
Try a different search term or clear the filters.
Could an Illinois judge serve as a director of a family charitable foundation?
Yes, on the stated facts. The foundation neither fundraised nor litigated, and the judge’s role was primarily clerical rather than selecting grant recipients.
Could an Illinois judge confidentially assess another judge’s qualifications for a bar association evaluation?
Yes. The Committee distinguished private input on qualifications from public endorsement or participation in a public evaluation.
Could an Illinois judge lead an alumni fundraising drive for scholarships honoring another judge?
No. The Committee applied former Rules 64C and 65B to bar public solicitation despite the scholarship’s judicial and legal-education purpose.
Did an Illinois judge have to report suspected lawyer document alteration to the ARDC?
The Committee required appropriate disciplinary action under former Rule 63B(3), declined to say an ARDC report was invariably required, and said the possibly criminal alteration called for serious…
Could an Illinois judge’s name appear as an honoree on a school benefit invitation?
No. The Committee found that naming the judge helped solicit funds and that receiving an award made the judge a prohibited guest of honor at the fundraiser.
Could an Illinois judge serve on a nonprofit board promoting drug prevention among youth?
Yes, on the stated facts and subject to former Rules 64C, 65B, and 62A on impartiality, duties, fundraising, economic advantage, and court proceedings.
Could a newly appointed Illinois associate judge finish an elected public school board term?
No. The Committee said the judge had to resign within a reasonable time, citing the former Code and the Illinois Constitution’s bar on judges holding school district office.
Could an Illinois judge bag groceries in a supermarket promotion donating part of sales to charity?
No. The Committee treated the proposed celebrity-bagger role as charitable fundraising prohibited by former Rule 65B(2), even if promotions omitted individual judges’ names.
Could an Illinois judge’s name appear on a donor list for a fundraiser supporting a county law library?
Yes, where the list was published at or after the event, did not solicit funds, and did not single out the judge.
Did an Illinois judge have to recuse or disclose where counsel belonged to a firm left 33 years earlier and handled two old closings?
No, on the stated facts. The Committee found no reasonable question about impartiality from a 33-year-old firm association or two routine closings four and nine years earlier.
Could an Illinois judge campaigning for election also serve as an unpaid deputy voter registrar?
No. The Committee found the campaign-linked role inconsistent with former Rule 67C and the Election Code and concluded that the Illinois Constitution barred all judges from holding the registrar office.
Could an Illinois judicial candidate remain on a political party central committee or a PAC board?
No. The Committee treated both positions as offices in political organizations prohibited to judicial candidates by former Rule 67A(1)(a).
Did an Illinois judge have to list pre-bench fee-sharing referral agreements on the economic-interest statement?
Yes. The Committee read former Rule 68 and the 1986 Administrative Order to require naming each referred case and lawyer in the annual filing.
Could an Illinois judge be paid to help write a television screenplay and appear in its credits by name and title?
Yes, on the stated facts. The Committee allowed compensation and use of the judge’s name and title, subject to the former Code’s limits on duties, impartiality, exploitation, and dealings.
Did an Illinois judge have to recuse or disclose because a frequently appearing firm employed the judge’s sister-in-law as a secretary?
No, on the stated facts. The Committee found no significant case interest for the salaried relative or reasonable basis to question impartiality merely because the firm often appeared.
Could an Illinois judge advocate higher attorney registration fees to fund the Lawyers Assistance Program?
Yes. The Committee allowed the judge’s titled name on supporting documents and public or court-facing advocacy, including talks to bar associations, because it treated the proposal as legal-system…
Could an Illinois judge regularly discuss courts on radio or television?
Yes, for general legal procedures and court issues. The Committee barred merits commentary on pending cases in any court while allowing procedural explanations and repetition of the official record.
Did an Illinois judge have to recuse when lawyers at a business partner’s firm appeared in court?
The Committee found no automatic recusal for firm colleagues on the stated low-impact facts, but said the partner’s personal appearance with a significant shared investment could reasonably call…
Did an Illinois judge have to remove a surname from a former firm’s name immediately before a contested election?
No, on the stated short-term facts. The Committee allowed temporary use of the surname, required removal of the judge’s individual name from listings, and called for firm-name removal if the judge won.
Did an Illinois judge have to recuse from every prosecution because the elected State’s Attorney was a recent private-practice colleague?
No. The Committee required recusal when the former partner or associate personally argued a case within the three-year period, but not solely because an assistant prosecutor appeared.
Could an Illinois judge who was not a candidate write a newspaper letter calling judicial candidates qualified?
No. The Committee treated a public statement that a candidate was qualified as an endorsement barred by former Rule 67A(1), even if it named both candidates.
Could an Illinois judge join the board of a charity administering a program the judge ordered defendants to attend?
No. The Committee applied former Rule 65B(1) because the organization’s program regularly figured in the judge’s proceedings, with additional concerns about fundraising solicitations and appearance.
Could an Illinois judge represent the judge’s own interests in an appellate case?
Yes. The Committee said former Rule 65F’s practice-of-law ban did not prevent a judge from appearing pro se, provided the judge represented only personal interests and did not exploit judicial office.
Could a nonjudge judicial candidate put “Circuit Judge” after the candidate’s name in campaign materials?
No, if the presentation implied the candidate already held judicial office or was running for retention rather than election.
Could an Illinois judge running in an election sign and circulate another judicial candidate’s nominating petitions?
Yes, where both were candidates in the same election. The Committee treated the activity as permitted even if petition circulation amounted to endorsement.
Could an Illinois judge convene or join a broad-based family violence coordinating council?
Yes. The Committee permitted participation where the council studied systems and procedures without advocating for particular litigants or appearing as a party or witness.
Did an Illinois judge violate the nepotism rule by hiring another judge’s qualified child as a secretary?
No, on the stated merit-based process. The Committee said the relationship alone did not make the appointment nepotism under former Rule 63B(4).
Could an Illinois judge preside over a cancer charity and speak at its fundraiser?
The Committee allowed the presidency and name on nonfundraising stationery, but barred solicitation and the proposed financial report followed by a donation appeal at a fundraising event.
Could an Illinois judge hear cases handled by assistant city prosecutors when the city prosecutor owed the judge money?
Yes, on the bare facts, where the assistants had no private-practice tie to the prosecutor. Circumstances suggesting the judge favored them to protect repayment could require recusal.
Could an Illinois judge hear cases involving a hospital subsidiary of the spouse’s employer?
Likely yes on the bare facts if the spouse’s interest was de minimis. The Committee made the assessment fact-dependent and discussed remittal if impartiality was reasonably questioned.
Could a defense fund pay an Illinois judge’s attorney fees after criminal charges?
The Committee permitted a defense fund, subject to former Rule 65C(4)(c) limits on donors and the other safeguards in the opinion. The judge’s name could promote a dinner benefiting only that judge.
Could an Illinois judge serve on the board or committee of a nonprofit economic development corporation?
The Committee allowed board, secretary, and information-committee service subject to the judge’s assessment of the former Code’s litigation, fundraising, impartiality, and financial-contact limits.
Could an Illinois judge play violin with an orchestra or at weddings and accept an honorarium?
The Committee permitted the performances and an honorarium within the former six-month $5,000 limit, provided the musical work did not interfere with judicial duties. It cautioned against performing…
Could an Illinois judge publish a novel with legal issues and use the judicial title as author?
The Committee permitted the judge to publish the novel, receive payment, and use the judge’s name and title if the writing met the former Code’s limits on judicial duties, impartiality,…
Could an Illinois judge serve as executor of the judge’s mother’s estate and take an executor fee?
The Committee allowed executor service for the mother’s estate if it met the former Code’s court and duty limits, but barred compensation to the judge. It permitted payment to the judge’s spouse for…
Could an Illinois judge remain trustee of an unrelated client’s charitable trust and take a fee?
The Committee allowed the judge to continue as trustee of the described charitable trust under former Rule 65B, but prohibited compensation under former Rule 66.
Could an Illinois judge on Army reserve duty give legal advice and receive military pay?
The Committee said a judge recalled for Judge Advocate General reserve duty could give legal advice, serve on military courts, prepare documents for personnel, and be paid by the military.
Could an Illinois judge attend a promotional event for a family business bearing the judge’s surname?
The Committee allowed attendance if the judge was not introduced by judicial title or wore a badge bearing it. Former Rule 65C(2) barred active management or service as an officer, director, or…
Could an Illinois judge serve as director and treasurer of a nonprofit supporting school programs?
The Committee allowed unpaid director and treasurer service for the described educational nonprofit, subject to former Rule 65B limits on member advantage, litigation, and fundraising use of the…
Could an Illinois judge become trustee of a charitable foundation that invests funds and makes grants?
The Committee permitted trusteeship if the foundation did not advance members’ economic or political interests, create specified litigation exposure, impair impartiality, or interfere with judicial duties.
Was an Illinois judge disqualified because the judge once represented a lawyer now appearing in court?
The Committee found no automatic disqualification merely because the judge had briefly represented the appearing lawyer in an unrelated matter, absent personal bias or prejudice. Disclosure could be…
Could an Illinois judge help develop a local sexual assault task force’s program?
No. The Committee concluded that the task force’s close work with prosecution and its members’ expected testimony in adversary proceedings made the proposed membership inconsistent with former Rule 65B.
Could immunized grand jury testimony support Illinois judicial discipline for acts before a judge took office?
The Committee said immunized testimony could be used in judicial discipline, but under the then-controlling Courts Commission decision, conduct before taking the bench could not itself support…
How did Illinois judicial ethics rules address a judge’s Fifth Amendment claim in a grand jury inquiry about official duties?
The Committee said a judge could be disciplined for invoking the Fifth Amendment or bargaining for immunity concerning questions specifically, directly, and narrowly tied to official duties, but…
Could an Illinois judge act on stage under a stage name and accept an honorarium?
The Committee permitted acting that did not interfere with judicial duties and allowed an honorarium under the former six-month $3,000 limit; donating the money did not change the compensation analysis.
Must an Illinois judge recuse when a defendant insurer holds the judge’s home and auto policies?
The Committee found no required recusal from policy ownership or a likely routine claim, but required recusal if the judge had a pending lawsuit against the insurer.
Could an Illinois judge accept an appointment to the U.S. Institute of Peace and its honorarium?
The Committee allowed the appointment, six annual one-day meetings, a small honorarium, and travel reimbursement on the stated facts under former Rules 64C, 66A, and 66B.
What did an Illinois chief judge have to do after a supervised judge’s DUI arrest and known alcohol problem?
The Committee said the arrest alone did not require a report to the Judicial Inquiry Board, but the arrest plus known alcohol abuse required appropriate disciplinary action; the chief judge was to…
Was an Illinois judge disqualified when a former spouse’s divorce lawyer appeared in unrelated cases?
The Committee found no automatic disqualification after a concluded, nonacrimonious divorce, absent objectively reasonable doubt about impartiality or personal hostility toward the lawyer. It…
Could an Illinois judge join a school district’s appointed citizens advisory council?
No. The Committee treated the elected board’s appointed council as a governmental body expected to advise on fact or policy issues outside law and court administration, bringing it within former…
Did an Illinois judge have to recuse when the judge’s active campaign chair or a colleague represented a party?
The Committee required recusal when the active campaign chair personally represented a party, but not merely because another lawyer in that firm appeared. It regarded disclosure of the chair’s firm…
Could a noncandidate Illinois judge speak about court cases at a political party Lincoln Day dinner?
The Committee allowed the speech only if the dinner was a community event without a fundraising component and the speech did not compromise judicial independence or integrity.
Did an Illinois judge have to recuse for a former co-counsel or a firm employing the judge’s daughter?
The Committee found no recusal from unpaid referrals and separately paid co-counsel work alone. For the daughter’s firm, it required assessing whether she acted in the case or held more than a…
Could an Illinois judge teaching an extracurricular activity accept a tuition waiver for the judge’s children?
The Committee permitted a routinely offered waiver on the same terms as for nonjudge faculty and concluded its value need not count toward the former honorarium limit.
Could an Illinois judge advocate for a rabbi during contract negotiations with a synagogue?
No. The Committee found that the advocacy role would appear to use judicial position for another person and would amount to law practice, even without drafting or reviewing the contract.
Could an Illinois judge join a civic group committee that publicly rates judicial candidates?
No. The Committee said public recommended or not-recommended ratings would effectively endorse or oppose candidates, and even a judge who was a candidate could not serve in that committee role.
Could an Illinois judge serve on an alderman’s private advisory committee on domestic violence ordinances?
No. The Committee concluded that the proposed broad private advice exceeded former Rule 64B’s permission and raised concerns about apparent partiality and prohibited political activity.
Did an Illinois judge have to report a repeat collection plaintiff’s apparent statutory violations?
The Committee said the judge could refer the facts to an appropriate enforcement authority but was not required to do so under former Rule 63B(3), which did not impose a duty to enforce every law.
Could an Illinois judge attend a fundraising dinner for a spouse running for sheriff?
Yes. The Committee said former Rule 67B permitted the judge to attend a political gathering, buy tickets, and be introduced; the marital relationship did not change that result.
Could an Illinois judge teach an early morning Tae Kwon Do class and receive an honorarium or tuition waiver?
The Committee allowed the class under former Rule 65A and permitted a reasonable honorarium within the then-applicable six-month $3,000 cap or a tuition waiver on scholarship terms.
Browse Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee opinions by topic
Legal ethics opinions from the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee interpret the rules of professional conduct for working lawyers, in response to inquiries from members and committees. They are advisory, not binding like court discipline decisions, but courts and discipline boards treat formal opinions as substantial guidance on how the rules apply. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the original source on the bar's site.