Connecticut Committee on Judicial Ethics
Informal Opinion Summaries
2008-20 (December 10, 2008)
Off the Bench Conduct; Media; Canon 3
Issue:
May a
Judicial Official, either individually or on behalf
of a group of Judicial Officials, initiate
communications with the media concerning another
Judicial Official’s years of service, that Judicial
Officials are entitled to a presumption of innocence
the same as everyone else, and that a case involving
a Judicial Official should be decided in court based
upon the evidence presented?
Response:
Based upon the facts presented, the Committee
unanimously decided that the proposed comments were
not appropriate and would violate Canon 3(a)(6). It
was noted that there was an absolute prohibition on
initiating such comments and that qualifying the
comments by noting that they were the personal
opinion of the Judicial Official would not obviate
the ethical prohibition.
Committee on Judicial Ethics