State of Washington

Ethics Advisory Committee

Question

May a judicial officer be involved in the planning of a teen traffic school? If so, may the judicial officer make use of the judicial title while involved in this program?

The city, with assistance from a judicial officer, would like to start a local traffic school that would focus on specific topics related to teenage drivers. The goal of the school is to target first offender teen drivers and expose them to education and discussion about high risk driving behaviors. The traffic school would be held at the local police department and classes would be taught by a local police officer. The money would initially come from grant money. The city would sponsor the school.

The teen traffic school is still in the planning stages. The planning committee consists of the city’s director of human services, two members of the police department and a high school member of the teen court. The judicial officer is interested in curriculum development. The teen traffic school would charge a fee to cover expenses.

Answer

CJC Canon 2(A) provides in part that judicial officers should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. Canon 4(A) provides that judicial officers may participate in activities concerning the law, the legal system and the administration of justice if in doing so they do not cast doubt on their capacity to decide impartially any issue that may come before the judge. These provisions permit the judicial officer to participate in the development of the curriculum for the teen traffic school.

The judicial officer is permitted to use the judicial title when writing letters of support for the new teen traffic school to members of the city council and when making recommendations to funding agencies about the teen traffic school.

Also see Opinions 93-3, 02-5 and 02-10.

Opinion 03-03

05/08/2003

Amended 01/21/2003