2/16/2016 |
2016-01
[Modified by CJE 2018-03]
|
Facebook: Using Social Networking Site |
- Guidelines pertaining to a Judge's use of Facebook, including issues of judicial identity, friending, and unfriending
- A judge may not be Facebook friends with an attorney who is reasonably likely to appear before that judge
|
2/24/2016 |
2016-02 |
Service on Board of Non-Profit School; Parent Volunteer |
- Judge may serve on Board of non-profit private school, noting certain cautions
- Judge may serve as admissions ambassador, noting certain cautions
- Judge may serve as parent volunteer
|
4/11/2016 |
2016-03 |
Practicing in the Federal Courts within Six Months after Retirement |
- Judge may practice in the federal courts within six months of retirement
|
4/11/2016 |
2016-04 |
Donating, Selling, and Exhibiting Photographs |
- Judge may exhibit and sell photographs as an avocation
- Judge may donate photographs to be exhibited and sold by a law-related non-profit organization where the identify of purchasers will not be shared with the judge
|
5/2/2016 |
2016-05 |
Serving as a Master within Six Months of Retirement |
- Judge may serve as a master on a pro bono basis within six months of retirement
|
6/9/2016 |
2016-06 |
Speaking at Community Family Day |
- Judge may speak at Community Family Day even though law-enforcement agencies are among the many sponsors of the event
|
6/28/2016 |
2016-07 |
Service as a Trustee |
- Judge may serve as trustee
- CJE articulates new factors relevant for determining the existence of a close family-like relationship
|
9/6/2016 |
2016-08 |
Linked In: Using Social Networking Site |
- Guidelines pertaining to a Judge's use of Linked In
- A judge may not have a Linked In connection with an attorney who is reasonably likely to appear before that judge
|
11/22/2016 |
2016-09 |
Twitter: Using Social Networking Site |
- Guidelines pertaining to a Judge's public use of Twitter in the judicial role
- When a judge posts in the judicial role, the public may perceive the judge's communications to have the imprimatur of the courts
- Use is generally restricted to educational and informational purposes, although the judge may also include posts relevant to the judge's own characteristics and accomplishments
|
12/9/2016 |
2016-10 |
Political Activity |
- Judge may not participate in Women's March scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on the day after the Presidential Inauguration and intended to send a message to the new Administration
|
12/9/2016 |
2016-11 |
Disqualification: Judge's Spouse Previously Represented Defendant |
- Judge may not hear a case if the judge's attorney-spouse had any prior involvement with the case, even if a new attorney now represents the defendant
|
12/9/2016 |
2016-12 |
Disqualification: Judge's Spouse is Employed at Agency Serving Litigants |
- Judge may hear cases in which the litigant is an individual served by Agency but not directly or indirectly served by the judge's spouse
- Judge may hear cases in which the litigant is an employee of the Agency but not directly or indirectly supervised by the judge's spouse
|
12/9/2016 |
2016-13 |
Testifying as a Character Witness |
- Judge may not testify in support of a disbarred attorney at a reinstatement proceeding without being duly summoned
|
2/21/2016 |
2017-01 |
Public Outreach |
- Judges are encouraged to engage in outreach activities designed to assure residents and visitors that Massachusetts judges are committed to the rule of law
- Judges may respond to comments made by public officials that appear to reflect misconceptions about the role of an independent judiciary or manifest disrespect for the rule of law
|
6/20/2017 |
2017-02 |
Abuse of the Prestige of Judicial Office
|
- Abuse as used in Rule 1.3 does not require a bad purpose or bad effect
- Judge may not participate in University's promotional video series featuring prominent alumni
|
10/2/2017 |
2017-03 |
Service on Governing Board of a Bar Association |
- New judge may complete his term on the governing board of a bar association
- Judge will have to avoid numerous situations that would appear to a reasonable person to interfere with the obligations of judicial office
|
10/2/2017 |
2017-04 |
Definition of Business Entity |
- Judge may not perform with a "business band." The Code prohibits employment by any business entity
- Code prohibits judge from serving as an independent contractor as well as an employee
- Judge may play with a cover band that does not perform for pay
|
10/2/2017 |
2017-05 |
Definition of Economic Interest |
- Definition of "mutual or common investment fund" includes Exchange Traded Funds
- Definition of "mutual or common investment fund" excludes managed funds
- An ownership interest of one percent or less of the legal or equitable interest of a party with a fair market value of $5000 or less is de minimis
|
3/14/2018 |
2018-01 |
Working for a Closely-Hold Family Business
|
- The Code prohibits a judge from being an employee or a volunteer for a business closely held by the judge or members of the judge's family
|
|
3/21/2018 |
2018-02 |
Communications with Successor Counsel
|
- Once a judge has assumed judicial office, conversations with successor counsel will be limited to historical facts not readily apparent from the file and similar matters of clarification
- A judge's continuing duty of loyalty to former clients includes an obligation to keep confidential the client's communications within the course of the representation.
|
5/18/2018 |
2018-03 |
Disclosure of Former Facebook Friendship |
- When a lawyer who was a former Facebook friend appears before a judge, disclosure is not presumptively required
- The judge should exercise discretion based on all the facts to decide whether to disclose
|
10/17/18 |
2018-04 |
Disqualification, Party is Former Client of Judge |
- When a party who was a former client appears before a judge and the judge has concluded that he or she can be impartial, the judge should carefully scrutinize all aspects of the past attorney-client relationship to consider whether the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned by a fully-informed disinterested observer
|