Boston--The Supreme Judicial Court today announced that it has adopted a new code of ethics for Massachusetts judges. The new Code of Judicial Conduct (S.J.C. Rule 3:09), which becomes effective on October 1, 2003, is based, in part, on the American Bar Association (ABA) Code of Judicial Conduct originally approved by the ABA in 1990. The new code supersedes the previous code adopted by the Supreme Judicial Court in 1972.

          The new code is substantially more detailed than the current code of ethics. It includes a preamble and commentary not in the current code. The new code was drafted after careful study for several years of codes of ethics for judges from all over the United States. It was prepared by a special committee of the Supreme Judicial Court consisting of the following persons: Former Land Court Chief Justice Peter W. Kilborn, Chair; Juvenile Court Judge Jay D. Blitzman; Superior Court Judge Margot G. Botsford; Boston Municipal Court Judge Raymond G. Dougan, Jr.; Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh; District Court Judge Rita S. Koenigs; Probate and Family Court Judge Joseph Lian, Jr.; Superior Court Judge Janet L. Sanders; District Court Judge James H. Wexler; Harvard Law School Professor Andrew L. Kaufman and Chancellor of Boston College J. Donald Monan, S.J., and Boston Attorney Martin R. Rosenthal.

          The new Code of Judicial Conduct will reside on the Supreme Judicial Court's page of the court's web site at www.state.ma.us/courts .  Click onto "SJC Home Page" under Shortcuts and then click onto "Judicial Ethics Opinions" to find both the current Code and the new Code. The direct link to the new Code is www.state.ma.us/courts/rule309eff1000103.pdf