| Effective Date: | 01/01/2016 |
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| Updates: | Adopted October 8, 2015, effective January 1, 2016 |
Canon 1: A judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.
A judge shall comply with the law, including the Code of Judicial Conduct.
A judge's obligation to comply with the law ordinarily includes the obligation to comply with the State conflict of interest law, G. L. c. 268A and c. 268B. However, the unique role of judges requires that judges on occasion follow rules that may be more or less restrictive than those followed by other public employees. In many instances, this Code imposes more stringent restrictions on judges' activities because of their obligation to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the judiciary. Thus, for example, the Code regulates aspects of a judge's personal conduct, including a judge's participation in extrajudicial activities unrelated to the law, and prohibits judges from political and campaign activities open to many other public employees. See, e.g., Rules 3.7 and 4.1. However, in a few instances, this Code creates exemptions from particular restrictions imposed by G. L. c. 268A §§ 3 and 23(b)(2) so that judges may more fully participate in activities related to the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice. See, e.g., Rules 3.1(E) and 3.13(D)-(E).
| Updates: | Adopted October 8, 2015, effective January 1, 2016 |
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