The Ethics of Judicial Campaigns: Part 1 (see Part 2) A whirlwind of activity, the pulse of adrenaline, and general excitement (and despair) loom in the air—it’s the change of season. Racing, you say? No, it’s judicial campaign season. With the primary elections approaching, I have received an increasing number of questions about judicial elections and campaigns. Because the questions often are recurring, I thought a … [Read more...] about On Your Mark, Get Set…Go?
Ethics
Paid Per Ticket: Not a Wise Judicial Pay Arrangement
So now that I have your attention—no, I’m not talking about bribery or ticket fixing. Rather, the subject of this article is judicial pay arrangements which are based on some factor other than an annual fixed salary, e.g. paid per traffic ticket filed in or disposed of by the court. While the purpose of such pay arrangements may not be nefarious, such pay measures equally damage the public’s confidence in the neutr … [Read more...] about Paid Per Ticket: Not a Wise Judicial Pay Arrangement
Punishing the Profane
Using Criminal Contempt Powers in an Ethical Manner Adefendant spews forth a string of curses during his initial hearing. A cell phone goes off in a busy courtroom, but no one will take responsibility for the disruption. When submitting a check to pay her fine, a litigant writes an expletive (expressing how she feels about the court) in the memo section. Judges often face disrespectful and disruptive behavior in the … [Read more...] about Punishing the Profane
To fee or not to fee… That is the ethical question
During economic hard times, the pressure can be immense for government officials, including judges, to find additional revenue sources to run government agencies. Judges often find themselves in the crossfire between addressing a city/county council’s concerns about budget shortfalls and maintaining the regular business of the court. Three alluring “solutions” sometimes proposed to “solve” this dilemma are to suppleme … [Read more...] about To fee or not to fee… That is the ethical question
Indiana Merit Selection and the “Missouri Plan”
Nationwide, selection of appellate judges typically occurs in one of three ways: contested election, political appointment, or merit selection. The “Missouri Plan,” as merit selection is sometimes referred to, first emerged in 1940 when prominent Missouri citizens1 sought to change the way their judges were selected because of perceived abuses/weaknesses with the other means of selection. Id. Their proposal was the Mi … [Read more...] about Indiana Merit Selection and the “Missouri Plan”