State of Washington

Ethics Advisory Committee

Question

May a judge participate in an annual fund raising event for an organization which is active in recreating crimes and having those recreations aired by the media by purchasing a ticket and attending a formal dinner and dance at the local jail facility?

Answer

CJC Canon 5(B) provides in part that judicial officers may participate in extrajudicial activities that do not reflect adversely upon their impartiality and permits them to attend some fund raising events provided they are not a speaker or a guest of honor.

Because of the nature of this organization a judicial officer should not attend its fund raising events as such an appearance would reflect adversely upon the judicial officer's impartiality.

See Amended Opinion 91-28.

Opinion 92-08

08/25/1992