State of Washington

Ethics Advisory Committee

Question

Is it proper for a judicial officer to serve as a regent of a private university or college, provided, the responsibilities of the judge/regent do not include fundraising?

Is it proper for a judicial officer to solicit charitable contributions from other full-time judges and/or retired judges?

Answer

CJC Canon 5(B) provides that judicial officers may participate in charitable activities that do not reflect adversely upon their impartiality or interfere with the performance of their judicial duties. It further provides in part that judicial officers may serve as trustees of an educational organization which is not conducted for the economic or political advantage of its members, subject to the following limitations: 1) Judges should not serve if it is likely that the organization will be regularly engaged in proceedings that would ordinarily come before them or will be regularly engaged in adversary proceedings in any court. 2) Judges should not solicit funds for any educational organization or use or permit the use of the prestige of their offices for that purpose and they should not be a speaker or guest of honor at an organization's fund raising event, but they may attend such events. 3) Judges should not give investment advice to organizations.
CJC Canon 5(B) permits judicial officers to serve as a member of the board of regents of a private university. The judicial officer should not, however, personally solicit funds for the university. This prohibition against personally fund raising also applies to other full-time judicial officers and/or retired judicial officers.

Opinion 93-07

02/12/1993